


The Weight of Us

by onequartercanadian



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Body Dysphoria, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Hallucinations, Heavy Angst, Human Trafficking, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Injury Recovery, Kidnapping, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Rape Recovery, Recovery, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Tragedy, Trauma, Trauma Recovery, Whump, fight for life, hurt aftermath, richard and jared need hugs, supportive caring jared, whump richard, why do i have a thing for long tragic fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-30 04:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 42
Words: 99,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14488689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onequartercanadian/pseuds/onequartercanadian
Summary: The Uber Kidnapper had been on the loose for two  years, using Uber to abduct unsuspecting passengers who are never seen again. His last three victims were in Silicon Valley.When Richard is his latest victim, Jared stops at nothing to find him. Especially when he realizes what his true feelings for Richard are. When Richard is thought by everyone to be long dead, Jared still refuses to give up hope and his desperate search for answers.Richard, with some help, struggles to survive his unbearable hell-like reality in order to get back to Jared.When Richard is finally found, he has a long mental and physical recovery ahead of him, but Jared is there every step of the way.Implied violence, graphic violence kept to a minimum.





	1. Taken

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first SV fic so I'm excited!!!!!  
> This idea came to me a couple weeks ago and wouldn't go away. So I figured I'd write it. I have just over 15k already written (about 9 chapters. I actually wrote the first 10k in a week. So go me.) that I'll be posting over the coming days/weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to stay ahead and not have to post as I go, but we'll see how that goes.  
> Since I have a thing for tragic recovery fics, I really wanted whump, hurt Richard and protective, caring, supportive Jared. So there's going to be a lot of that.  
> Title from The Weight of Us by; Sanders Bohlke

Richard had just finished up a meeting with Monica and Laurie doing a simple status update. He was walking out of the conference room when Monica asked,

“You have a ride home?”

“Yeah, I’m just going to call an Uber.” Richard answered

Monica grew concerned, “Are you sure? You’ve heard about what’s going on with them right? You want to try something else?”

Richard waved it off and tugged at his hoodie, “Yeah I’ll be fine.”

“You sure you don’t want me to drive you home or...something. I’m leaving soon anyway.”

Richard waved it off again and looked down, “No, no thanks.”

Monica was still uncomfortable but backed off, “Alright. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

He walked outside that evening and first tried to call a Lyft but there weren’t any drivers around the offices of Bream-Hall, but there was an Uber only a few minutes away. So he called the Uber and gave Jared a call while he waited.

“Hi, Richard. How did the meeting go?”

“It went well. Laurie is pleased with our progress.”

“Oh good.”

A black sudan pulled up and the driver opened the window to confirm, “Richard?”

Richard told the man, “Yes.” Then told Jared, “My Uber’s here, we can talk about the details later.”

“Alright...Hey, do you want me to order the food?”

“Yeah, order my usual.”

“Alright. See you soon.”

“Yeah, see you soon.” Richard hung up and got into the car. He didn’t really look at the driver and instead was looking at his phone.

“Got out of a meeting?” The man asked as he drove

Richard glanced up from his phone then back down, not really expecting to talk to the driver. “Um, yeah.”

“Did you get your funding?”

Richard fumbled with his hoodie, “Yeah, a-a while back. It was a progress meeting.”

“Ah.” He nodded, “What’s your company?”

“Pied Piper.”

“Ah.” He nodded again, “I heard of them. That whole new internet thing.”

“Yeah.”

“Cool. Really cool.” Richard noticed how rough and deep his voice was.

“Thanks.” Richard looked at the app to see how much longer he’d have to make small talk with the driver. “I’m sorry...but, um...which route are you using...because what it’s showing me is really indirect.”

Richard really looked at the driver for the first time. He was probably mid-thirties, he had biceps of bodybuilder which Richard assumed was the case for the rest of his body, and dark hair which matched his scruff and rough facial features.

“I used to live around there. Trust me, we’re avoiding a lot of traffic.”

“Well...I live there now and there’s normally no traffic around this time.” Richard was getting a bad feeling about this. His foot started tapping and he started shaking. He kept assuring himself that it was okay, even when everything else told him it wasn’t.

The driver looked at Richard through the rear-view mirror and an evil smile crept across his face. “You’ll get there. Don’t worry.”

Richard didn’t see the driver looking at him but went with what he said.

A while later Richard noticed they were really in the middle of nowhere. He looked at the app and saw that it said that the ride was over. “What?” He muttered

“What’s wrong?” The driver innocently asked

“My app is malfunctioning. It says the ride is over. That the destination was changed to here...I-I don’t get it.” He looked at the driver in confusion.

The driver turned around and pulled out a gun, “Give me your phone!”

Richard put his hands up, dropping his phone, and tried to back away from the gun. He started stuttering word vomit, “I-I-I-wh-wh-why-what-wh-I-I.” In a complete panic he tried to open the doors but they were locked. He panickedly looked at the man with wide eyes.

“Shut up! Give me your fucking phone!” He cocked the gun still pointing it directly at Richard. He never thought he’d be staring down the barrel of a gun.

Richard’s hands were shaking so hard and were so numb he couldn’t properly grasp the phone and he kept dropping it. The driver snatched it from his hands and muttered, “You’re pathetic.”

With one squeeze of his hand he crushed the screen of the phone and then opened the car door and threw the phone out before getting out of the car with the gun in his other hand.

In his panicked state, Richard decided that trying to run was the best thing to do. He managed to get the now unlocked door open and crawled out.

There are three main reactions to situations like this; fight, flight, or freeze.

He was so terrified that his legs went to jelly and he hit the ground almost immediately. He managed to get up and started to run but only got a couple of steps before he ran into the man. He grabbed Richard’s wrist in a wrist lock by grabbing the outside of his hand and locking his fingers below Richard’s thumb. He squeezed his fingers to create pressure and quickly twisted his wrist to the right, causing intense pain. Since wrists should not move in that direction. He perfectly executed the wrist lock in a few swift movements causing Richard to wince and cry out in pain.

He then tightened the grip and pulled the arm behind Richard’s back and grabbed his other arm as well.

As the man zip tied his wrists behind his back Richard let out a piercing scream for help. The man slammed Richard into the side of the car and clamped his hand over his mouth.

“You let out one more sound and I _will_ shoot you right here and leave your body to the wolves. You got that!?”

Richard nodded while violently shaking and barely breathing. It finally occurred to Richard, ‘ _Oh god. I’m being kidnapped.’_ His eyes darted around, ‘ _Someone must be seeing this. Right? Right?’_

The man grabbed Richard’s bound arms and shoved him towards the back of the car.

“No-no-no-please-stop-please-stop. What-what-what-do-you-you-you-want?”

“I told you to shut up!”

He opened the trunk and pushed Richard’s back and he fell into the trunk still stammering and violently shaking. The man then pistol whipped him in the head making him pass out and leaving a bloody gash on Richard’s forehead. The man grabbed some duct tape from the corner of the trunk and taped Richard’s legs together then put a length over his mouth. “So he won’t start screaming again if he wakes up.” He slammed the trunk closed. He looked in the back and saw a computer bag. He grabbed it and opened it. He pulled out the computer and threw it into the woods on the side of the dark country road. He tossed the bag as well. He got back in the car and continued driving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So about a day or so after I started this fic and wrote this chapter I got into an Uber. A couple minutes in, a song I was listening to reminded me of my fic. I looked at the driver and thought, "Are you a serial abductor?" Obviously I was fine, but I found that weirdly amusing.


	2. The Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard faces the worst fear of his life. Jared quickly realizes that something is very wrong.

Richard hazly came back to consciousness. His head pounded like never before and he couldn’t see a damn thing. It took a second but as soon as he got his barings and remembered what happened he started to panic. He tried to move but he found his arms and legs were bound and his mouth was taped shut. He started muffled screaming and thrashing in what little room he had in the trunk. He kept thinking, ‘ _No! No! No! No! No! This can’t be happening! No!’_ He screamed and thrashed until his panicked energy ran out and he was forced to stop. It was then he felt the tears on his face. He cried some more, letting out heart wrenching sobs which soon turned to faint whimpers due to pure exhaustion.

He felt the car roll to a stop which caught his attention. His eyes darted around the pitch black trunk, his panic renewed. He heard a door slam and footsteps that kept getting louder. The trunk opened and Richard squinted at the bright fluorescent lights above him. Standing above him, encased in a shadow of the light was the man who kidnapped him.

“We’re be there in a while. I need some gas. You try _anything._ I mean _anything._ You’re fucking dead. I will shoot you in the fucking head and make sure your body is _never_ even discovered. You understand?”

Richard shakily nodded. He noticed again how large his muscles were. He saw the man’s biceps through his grey t-shirt. They weren’t exactly well defined, but definitely stronger than most, like a professional bodybuilder. They were functional, not for vanity.

Biceps took a look at Richard and shook his head with an annoyed sigh, “You smell like shit. You’re fucking pathetic. You know that.” He was talking about the wet stain on Richard’s pants. Richard’s eyes darted down and realized that in his panic he must have pissed himself at some point. He was so damn terrified he didn’t even remember.

He pulled out his gun and looked at it then back at Richard, “Maybe I should just shoot you and get someone new. Could get more from that. Could shoot and dump you then get a new one. The drunk crowd would be leaving by then. It would be easy fucking pickings.” Biceps pointed the gun at Richard.

He violently shook his head and let out some muffled cries from behind the tape.

Biceps smiled and chuckled. “But on the other hand, someone might have fun with you.” He put the gun in his jean waistband and shut the trunk again.

Richard heard the car door open and slam closed. The car drove a little bit until it reached another stop and he got out again. He heard him get gas then it was a while before he returned. Richard was too terrified to move. When he returned the car started again drove away. It drove for a little while before stopping again and Biceps got out. He opened the trunk again and shined his bright flashlight down at Richard, making him squint. He showed him a bottle of water and shook it. “You thirsty?”

Without thinking he nodded. His throat was drier than sandpaper. Biceps chuckled then cracked open the bottle. He brought it down towards Richard’s face and started pouring it all over his face making Richard almost suffocate as the water got everywhere. He tried and failed to not breathe it in, making him choke. Biceps let out a sadistic laugh as he stopped. He violently ripped the tape from Richard’s mouth and he instinctively took a few deep breaths. Biceps lowered the half full bottle and tiled it too far into Richard’s mouth, making him choke again. Biceps smiled and laughed as Richard got his barings. He looked up at him and all he could managed with a small cracked hoarse voice, “W-w-why?”

His smile renewed at Richard’s question, “Because as soon as I saw you, I knew you were the right type I’m looking for. You can’t really fight back and you’ll do anything to stay alive.” He paused with another sadistic smile, “I knew you’d be easy to break.”

Richard didn’t know what to say, “I-I-want to go-go-go home. My company-it-it-it has money. Good money. Take it! All-all-all of it!”

Biceps scowled and rolled his eyes with a huff, “I don’t want your money. I don’t give a shit if you have money and I don’t give a shit who you are.”

“...Wh-where-where are-are-are you-yo-taking me?” His voice was almost a cracked whisper.

Biceps remained cryptic, “You’ll see soon enough.” Richard saw him grab the duct tape and pull off another length.

“No! No! Please! No! Please!” He cried but it was no use. Afterwards Biceps tossed the roll of duct tape back in the trunk and slammed the door closed.

* * *

Jared rushed into the office the next morning and was confused and even more worried when he didn’t see Richard in his office. He hurried over towards Dinesh and Gilfoyle workstations. “Have you seen Richard this morning?”

“No.” Gilfoyle simply responded, not looking away from his computer.

“Well he didn’t come home last night. He’s not in his office and he’s not answering his phone.”

Dinesh looked away from his computer, “Figured he came into work early. Hadn’t looked in his office though.” Jared’s shoulders tensed.

“When was the last time you spoke with him or saw him?”

Gilfoyle dramatically sighed and looked away from his computer, “Last night, before his meeting with Laurie and Monica.” Dinesh nodded in agreement.

“Because I spoke with him briefly right after the meeting. It’s not like Richard to be late for work and not come home.” Jared thought for a second and wrung his hands together. He hadn’t slept a minute the previous night, he was too worried about why Richard wasn’t answering his phone. There was a time that he considered calling the cops but he knew they wouldn’t do anything about a friend not picking up the phone, “Did he stay with either of you last night?” Ever since Jian-Yang kicked them out of the Hacker Hostel, Dinesh and Gilfoyle were temporarily rooming together and Richard was staying with Jared.

“No, like I said, we hadn’t seen him.” Dinesh commented with an annoyed sigh. He realized how distraught Jared was and tried to reassure him, “Sorry. He’ll turn up. I’m sure of it.”

“It’s just not like him to stay out all night, to ignore his work, not answer texts, have phone calls go straight to voicemail. His work is his life. I’m worried.”

“I _never_ say this..but Dinesh is right.” Gilfoyle shuttered at the thought of agreement, “Richard will turn up.” He turned back to his work as did Dinesh.

Jared backed away and instinctively went back to Richard’s office when he saw Monica enter the office. He walked out of Richard’s office towards her, “What can I do for you?”

“Where’s Richard? I need him to sign some things.” Monica gestured towards the files that were presumably in her bag.

“That’s a great question actually. I’ve been trying to find him myself.”

Monica turned confused, “What do you mean?”

Jared got noticeably uncomfortable. He started fidgeting, “I’ve been trying to locate him since last night. He’s not picking up his phone and he’s not in the office.”

Monica was now pretty concerned, “What do you mean, he didn’t come home last night? Where the hell is he?”

Jared continued fidgeting with his hands and shifting his weight from side to side, “Well, that’s the question of the day. Isn’t it?” He gave an awkward uncomfortable smile to disguise how distraught he was.

“When did you talk to him last?” She demanded

“The guys talked to him before the meeting and I talked to him right after.” Jared answered.

“What did he say?”

“He said that the meeting went well and we’d talk about it today.”

“Why didn’t he say it then?”

“Because he said his Uber was there and he had to go.” Jared asked, “Why?”

Monica’s face turned to horror. Their conversation had gotten Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s attention. “What?” Dinesh asked

“Okay...this...this might be a stretch.” Monica started

“What might be?” Gilfoyle asked

“Have you heard about that Uber Kidnapper?” The men nodded

“Yeah, he’s allegedly kidnapped up to 10 people throughout the west coast, primarily California, using Uber.” Dinesh said, fear etching into his voice.

“Yeah, eight women and two men. The last three victims were in the Valley.” Monica finished

“Monica, What are you saying?” Jared feared where this was going.

“If that was the last time anyone saw him or spoken to him...then...you know what I’m saying.” Monica looked down uncomfortably

“You know,” Dinesh offered an idea, “I have a friend at Uber. We could see where he went and if he ever made it there.”

“Wow, a not terrible idea from you... for once.” Gilfoyle insulted which made Dinesh gave him bitchface.


	3. Man Behind The Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More is learned about the Uber Kidnapper. The guys go to Uber to find out what happened to Richard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another kinda short chapter, but the next chapter is much longer.
> 
> I'm posting this all quicker than I originally intended because of all the great comments and I'm excited. (Thank you all so much!!!! It means so much!!! *offers hugs*) Although I want to stay ahead of what I'm posting, I'm still about 6ish chapters ahead of this one and I want to write some more before posting more chapters. So I might post the next update in a couple days.

The car rolled to another stop. Richard’s breathing increased as he wondered why. He flinched when he heard the car door open then slam closed. When the trunk was opened again it was still dark out. Biceps towered above him. Richard felt like he was ten feet tall. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and pulled off the sheath. Richard tried to move but failed due to the restraints. He let out a few muffled yelps and whimpers.

Biceps lowered the knife towards his feet, causing Richard’s cries to get louder and flails to get more erratic. “Stop!” Biceps commanded and grabbed his bound feet. He used the knife to cut the tape off. “We’re here.”

Richard’s eyes darted around, trying to survey his surroundings but it was too dark still. Biceps pulled a black hood from his pocket and shoved it over Richard’s head. He quietly groaned and whimpered as Biceps tugged and pulled him from the trunk and kept a firm grasp on his arms that were still zip tied behind his back. They walked for a little while until Biceps led him down a staircase.

He was shoved to the floor. He heard Biceps say, “Here, got you another one. Like you wanted.”

“Good, let me see.” Another male voice said. His voice had a slight accent that Richard tried to identify and his voice was gruff, threatening, gravely. It sent a chill down Richard’s spine.

The man pulled off the hood and looked at him with faint disappointment. He was very tall and muscular like Biceps and had broad shoulders. He was older than Biceps who was in in thirties. He had tanner skin than Biceps and scruffy black hair. He didn’t have any facial hair to hide his strong jawline. Richard thought that he looked Italian. He had on an impeccably tailored suit which Richard thought looked really expensive.  “I asked for a young white boy and _this_ is what you bring me? _Tsk Tsk,_ Craig.”

Richard had his first coherent thought since all this happened, ‘ _Craig? Really? He looks too scary to be a Craig.’_ Richard’s eyes darted around the room. It looked like a cellar. It was dimly lit with a few hanging bulbs scattered around. It had dark stone walls and floor and smelled stale and rotting. The room was freezing cold.

Biceps, Craig, pulled himself away from the older man,“You could use him for labor.”

The Italian scoffed, “No I can’t. Look at him. He’s a shrimp! He won’t last five minutes doing labor!”

“You could put him with who you have here. He looks very young. You can charge a premium.” Craig, reasoned, “He won’t cause you any trouble. I promise you. Got him here without a problem or much of a fight. Plus, the nerd look is in nowadays. Niche interests are willing to pay top dollar for special requests.”

The Italian looked down at Richard stroking his chin for some time in thought. “I guess if he doesn’t work out I can try to make a profit off him, sell him to the highest bidder...or I could just kill him.”

“So it’s a deal?” Craig asked

“...Alright.”

Craig smiled, “Two, the regular agreement.”

The Italian thought for a second, “No, one. He’s a risky investment. I need to ensure I’m going to get a return.”

“We agreed on two per sale.” Craig’s voice turned angry

The Italian turned to look at Craig with a face of pure murder, “Are you _sure_ you want to fight with **_me_ **?” He intensely stared him down while standing tall and taking up Craig's personal space, "I thought you knew better than to fight me." He put his hands on his belt and widened his stance.

“One’s fine.” Craig backed away. His voice heightened and put his hands up defensively.

A satisfied smile crawled across his face, “Good. You will get your payment. Now go.” The Italian shooed him away. Craig left the cellar in a hurry and Richard was alone with The Italian.

He visually inspected Richard again, pacing around his small, tall, frame. He kicked him in the stomach, making Richard wince and let out a muffled cry. “Let’s hope you’re as easy and profitable as Craig thinks you are...or else this won’t end well for you.”

Tears streamed down Richard’s face.

* * *

Jared, Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Monica arrived at the Uber offices that morning to meet with Dinesh’s friend, Phil. He had just gotten to the office and greeted Dinesh with a fistbump which Dinesh wasn’t too thrilled about. “Hey, so you wanted to check up on someone?” He was young and lanky, like most other coders they knew.

“Yeah, Richard Hendricks” Dinesh responded, “Can you pull his account and see the details of his last ride?”

“Of course.” Phil started searching through the database as the others gathered around his computer.

“We’re sorry to intrude but we haven’t heard from him since he got into his Uber. So...yeah. I m-I mean-we’re just worried.” Jared explained,

“No no, it’s cool. Been doing this for a lot of friends. Haven’t had a bad results yet.” Phil joked, “Maybe I’m good luck.”  He searched through a few more files before his face dropped, “Oh no.”

“Let me guess, you’re not good luck anymore.” Gilfoyle dryly retorted with his arms folded

“What’s wrong!?” Jared started to panic

“Okay…” Phil turned from the computer to face them, “Ever since this started the kidnapper has hacked into Uber’s app and created a profile looks like it’s been used for years, with a background check, picture, ratings, everything. Indistinguishable from any other user. A new one for each victim. So we don’t know what he looks like or what his actual name is.”

“Oh great.” Gilfoyle remarked

“But for each victim their destination was changed mid route to some random coordinates up near the mountains. The ride ends and that’s the end of it. Both phones go off the grid. We have an algorithm that grabs those rides and sends it directly to us so we can call the Feds handling the case.” He took a deep breath, “Richard’s account was added to the list last night. Started at the Bream-Hall offices, originally headed for an address about 20 minutes away but was changed and ended up near the mountains.”

Everyone’s faces fell in shock. “So-so-so....you’re telling me...Richard was taken by the Uber Kidnapper?” Jared prayed and pleaded that it wasn’t true.

“It seems like it.”

Jared’s legs turned to jelly, “Oh god. I-think I’m going pass out...or vomit...or both.”

Gilfoyle was standing next to him, “I’m going to move over here.” He moved a few feet away.

Monica remembered, her voice was a small mutter, “I-I offered to give him a ride home. Why-why didn’t I insist on driving him home?  I left soon afterwards anyway.” A wave of guilt overwhelmed her.

Dinesh pulled Phil aside, “What do you know about this guy?”

“Personally?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know much. There's a team working with the Feds, giving them whatever info they need, but I'm not on it. Not many are. But from what I’m hearing, they don’t know much either. They’re working theories are most likely murder but also selling them to the highest bidder.”

Dinesh took a deep breath, now he felt like he was the one who was going to pass out or vomit. “How...how likely are we to see him again? Be honest.”

Phil paused then took a deep breath, “Honestly.”

“Yes fucking honestly! I just said that!” Dinesh tried to keep a hush tone but found it difficult with the revelation.

“If he’s like the others. There’s a slim to zero chance you’ll ever see your friend again.” Dinesh felt like he was punched in the stomach multiple times.

“I’m going to tell Paul, who’s on the team working with the Feds. He'll call the Feds and they’ll come talk to you guys to gather information on Richard. Stay here. Keep everyone else calm.”

Dinesh was in too much shock to say or do anything.


	4. Suspected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The FBI questions the group about Richard and learn something of interest. Richard finds out who The Italian is. Someone else has an interest in finding Richard.

The four sat in an Uber conference room. It was a typical Silicon Valley tech office. Jared wished there weren’t the clear walls in the conference room. Because he felt like he was falling apart and he didn’t want the entirety of Uber and Federal Agents to see him right now.

A man and a woman in suits walked into the conference room. They introduced themselves as Agent Nina Shaw and Agent Elliot Burke. Agent Shaw was about mid thirties with dark brown hair, pale skin, and wore a black pantsuit with dark blue dress shirt. Agent Burke was an older black man, probably mid/late forties in a grey suit with faint wrinkles framing his face and buzzcut. Both agents looked very put together.

“We’re the lead investigators on this case. We understand that you think that your friend has been taken by the Uber Kidnapper.”

“Y-yes.” Jared answered Agent Burke’s question.

“Explain why you think that.” Agent Burke asked. Dinesh explained what happened and how they found out about Richard’s Uber app.

They asked general information about Richard to build a file and asked for a photo. Jared said that he would be able to send them one.

“Does he have any family, significant others, or other friends that we need to contact?” Agent Shaw asked

“No, it’s just us, really.”

Jared leaned in and hesitantly asked, “Do-do you think...he’s still alive?”

“We’re still building our profile on the Uber Kidnapper, working our theories.” Agent Shaw explained.

“So you have nothing.” Gilfoyle interrupted to point out. He stared at them with his arms folded. The agents looked at him in shock. “You’re giving us the vague runaround because you don’t want to tell us that you have absolutely no clue who this guy is, what he is doing, or has done to Richard.” The agents were silent. “Eleven people have disappeared over two years and you don’t know jack shit about who took them.” The agents still didn’t respond but didn’t break eye contact.

Monica broke the silence, “What _can_ you tell us about this guy?” The agents continued their stoic silence.

“What are your theories?” Dinesh wanted to hear it from them. If the rumors Phil heard were actually correct. Jared got up and started to pace the room.

The agents looked at each other before Agent Shaw spoke, “With all these different backgrounds and genders, it’s hard to pin down whom he targets. He could be a serial killer-” Jared let out an audible gasp, they looked at him for a moment before Shaw continued, “Or he could be working for someone such as a-”

Agent Burke interrupted her, “Does Richard have any enemies? Anyone who might hold a grudge against him? If he tech is as promising as you’ve said, then there might be people, some competitors, who would want him gone.”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle huffed which made the Agents eyebrows raise.

“Why are you asking that if it was the Uber Kidnapper?” Jared didn’t get it.

Agent Shaw had her attention on Dinesh and Gilfoyle, “You know an enemy?”

They were silent for a few moments, “If you don’t answer we can just take you all in for questioning.” Burke threatened

“Gavin Belson.” Dinesh said which took the agents by surprise. The others looked at him, surprised that he spoke.

Shaw clarified, “Gavin Belson, the CEO of Hooli?” Dinesh nodded.

“They’ve been going at it for years.” Jared wrung his hands as he paced.

“Can you elaborate?” Shaw prodded. It was phrased as a question but it was really a demand and everyone knew it. They filled the agents in on Richard and Gavin’s ongoing feud.

“So his new internet would make Gavin’s entire company obsolete.” Burke clarified, clearly interested in the potential.

“He’s an ass but he wouldn’t do something like this. ” Jared was growing agitated and couldn’t stop fidgeting or pacing.

“We’re covering our bases. It’s routine.” Shaw explained

Burke changed the topic, “How would you classify Richard’s survival skills?” Gilfoyle and Dinesh let out a few chuckles which got them dirty looks from everyone in the room, “Like how would he react if someone threatened him with violence? Say if someone pulled a gun or knife on him.”

Gilfoyle replied candidly, “He’d probably shit his pants.” The answer got him some odd looks from the agents.

Dinesh got things slightly off topic, “You say that like it’s abnormal to be literally scared shitless when a weapon’s pointed at you.”

“Yeah.”

“What, you’re saying you wouldn’t shit yourself and all of a sudden become _very_ nice and accommodating.”

“If someone wants to kill me or take me. They’re going to have to work for it. Because I’m not going down without a damn good fight.” Gilfoyle dryly responded.

Dinesh brushed it off, “Yeah. Sure. Alright.”

Monica got things back on track and gave the agents an actual answer, “Richard most definitely would not challenge someone if they threatened him like that. He would just try to stay alive.”

Jared added, “He has _a lot_ of anxiety.”

“So he’s a people pleaser?” Burke asked,

“Not necessarily.” Jared answered.

“Would he fight back?” Burke asked, “Or do what they asked?”

“Like she said, If they threatened him with violence, he’d just try to stay alive.” Dinesh answered, “Because he’s so very aware of how most people on the planet can completely kick his ass in a fight. He’s a complete coward.”

Shaw replied, “Fighting back an attacker can either save your life or get you killed. Most of the time, it’s the latter. It all depends on the attacker and if the victim knows how to fight.”

The agents looked at their notes and Burke concluded the meeting, “Alright. We’re going to need you all to come down to the Bureau. Answer a couple more questions.” The group got uneasy.

Jared had enough, “Why?! We already told you everything! You’re wasting time! You need to be out there trying to find the guy who has Richard!” They noticed throughout the questioning that Jared really acted like more than a friend. He wouldn’t stop fidgeting or pacing. They first suspected he was a significant other. Since he seemed the most worried and knew the most about Richard.

Shaw stared Jared down, “Yes, that’s what we’re doing. It’s just a few more routine questions. We need as much information as possible so we can build a case and figure out who took your friend. Let us do our job.” Normally in an abduction or murder case, the family and friends were questioned to gain more information about the victim and to clear them of any suspicion. Then law enforcement investigated enemies, then outside possibilities.

Since there was suspicion this could be connected to a series of cases they would expedite the process and they already had agents working the Uber Kidnapper angle. The agents wanted to cover all their bases and not jump to conclusions.

Monica put an end to their stare down, “Of course. We’ll give you anything you need.”

After Agents Burke and Shaw dropped the group off at the Bureau they went Hooli headquarters to get Gavin Belson in for questioning. If Gavin hated Richard as much as the group said he did. They didn’t put it past him to copy a serial kidnapper to get ahead.

* * *

Gavin’s right hand man, Hoover, rushed into the conference room, interrupting a board meeting, “Sir, we have a problem!” Gavin looked up in confusion from where he was standing at the head of the table. Before Hoover could explain Agents Burke and Shaw came in, wordlessly commanding the attention of the room.

“Hello. What can I do for you?” Gavin asked

“Gavin Belson?” Shaw asked

“Yes, who are you?”

“Agent Elliot Burke. This is my partner, Agent Nina Shaw. FBI. We need you to come with us to answer a few questions.” They flashed their badges. The board whipped their heads from looking at the agents at the door to looking at Gavin. All with the same expression, _Gavin! What the fuck did you do?!!!!_

“What is this about?” Gavin tried to get the bottom of this and keep his cool.

“You need to come with us.” Shaw didn’t give anything away.

“Well it must be urgent for you to interrupt me during a meeting.”

Burke laid it out, partly to gauge Gavin’s reaction, “Richard Hendricks of Pied Piper has gone missing. As I understand, his technology threatened your entire business.”

The room fell so deathly silent you could hear a pin drop. Everyone’s faces dropped in shock.

Hoover looked at Gavin thinking, ‘ _GAVIN! THE FUCK DID YOU DO??!!!”_

Gavin was just as shocked as everyone else. After a few seconds he composed himself, “I’d like to help in anyway I can.” The agents nodded. During a temporary lapse of judgement Gavin let slip, “Do I need a lawyer?” Hoover visually cringed when he said that and Gavin quickly realized the mistake but Burke had a snappy retort.

“I don’t know. _Do you?”_

The room fell deathly silent.

“No. No, I don’t.” Gavin took a breath and composed himself. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding.”

Shaw dangerously retorted, “For your sake, you better hope so.”

* * *

Gavin sat in the cold dark interrogation room at the local FBI field office. There was just a metal table, a metal chair, and a fluorescent ceiling light. Gavin was quick to notice the video camera in the corner. He sat there, trying to remain calm. Even though he had _nothing_ to do with this, he knew how it looked.

You’re a powerful and wealthy CEO, there’s a small guy who you’ve been trying to beat for years because he has really promising tech that could make you obsolete. A few months before his launch, he suddenly turns up missing.

It was a goddamn _Law and Order_ episode.

They had him wait for a few hours. Unknown to Gavin, the agents were questioning Richard’s friends so that they could get more information on Richard and they were investigating Gavin’s past with Hooli and Richard.

Agent Burke and Shaw came into the room with stern looks and some files in manilla folders.

“What can I help you with?” Gavin slightly smiled, trying to be accommodating.

The agents sat down across the table.

“Do you know Richard Hendricks?”

“Yes, years ago he worked for me. He went off to do his own thing.” Gavin gave them the runaround.

Burke raised his eyebrows, “Well, you know him more than that. You two have quite a history. There was once a legal matter of who owned the original Pied Piper algorithm IP.” Burke showed the court documents. “You lost, didn’t you?”

Gavin didn’t know where they were going with this, “Yes, I don’t know why you’re bringing up ancient history though.”

Shaw let out a small smile and pulled out a few more documents, “You reportedly had a few squabbles here and there. Then when you were ousted from Hooli you went to partner with Richard and his new internet idea.”

Gavin reluctantly nodded, “Yes, because I had money and the patent.”

Burke put the patient forms in front of him on the table, “You had the patent when it was borderline useless and the needed tech didn’t exist...Then you sold it to Richard who created the needed tech.”

Shaw added, “What made you do that?”

“Act of good faith.” He simply answered. Even though Gavin was worried out of his mind he tried to put up a calm, open, demeanor and body language.

“When you found out that they had a very promising future. A future that you would not be a part of and would destroy your company. You were probably very angry.” Shaw alluded, trying to get a rise out of him.

“I’m glad that he’s using the patent to its fullest potential.” Gavin tried to keep his cool. He was starting to see where they were taking this.

“He is your biggest competitor, correct?”

“Yes.”

“When Pied Piper was growing and in need of a staff, did you hire all 63 engineers they were looking at?”

“I don’t take part in the hiring process. That’s all HR.” Gavin tried to play ignorant.

“Well, we spoke with HR and found out that you _personally_ ordered all 63 of these _specific_ engineers to be hired. Why is that?” She smiled, “If you don’t play a role in hiring.”

“That’s not illegal.”

“You employ a lot of security engineers, correct?” Gavin turned his attention to Burke.

“Yes, I do. Hooli needs a lot of them.”

“Are they the best at what they do?”

Gavin was still trying to figure out the FBI’s angle. “Yes, Hooli needs the best to protect our servers and customers.”

“So they know their way around some of the best heavily secured systems?”

“Yes, they do.”

“Do you know the CEO of Uber?” Shaw changed the topic.

Gavin looked at her in confusion, again not sure why they were asking that. “Yes I do. We’re not exactly friends. We’re competitors. We’ve known each other for years.”

“Do you know about what’s been going on with Uber lately? The one that has really made headlines.”

Gavin knew exactly what they were talking about. His face dropped. “Yes..I do.”

“What is it?”

“...The Uber Kidnapper.”

Burke paced the room, “So to clarify. Richard Hendricks is your biggest competitor, whom you’ve had massive problems with in the past. Your security engineers know their way around highly secured systems. You know what’s going on at Uber.” He was stone faced when he laid down the biggest question and the whole purpose of the interrogation, “Did you have people impersonate the Uber Kidnapper so you could make Richard Hendricks disappear?”

Even though Gavin knew that accusation was coming, he still fell into shock about being accused. “I would not do that, Agent! I go against my competitors honestly and legally.”

Well... _mostly._

This line of questioning continued for a few more hours until Burke finally told him, “Alright. I think we’re done here. You’re still a person of interest, so leaving the state would be a _really_ bad idea right now.” Shaw gave an almost threatening smile.

* * *

Richard laid on the floor as The Italian kept kicking him. “You have to learn your place here your scrawny little shit!” After kicking him with his black leather boot multiple times in the gut, back, and legs he pulled out a folding knife and unsheathed it. He cut the zip ties from around Richard’s wrists and painfully ripped the tape from his mouth. He death gripped Richard’s upper arm and pulled him up to his feet. Richard uneasily stood up, giving it everything he could not to vomit or pass out...or both. He’d never felt more unbalanced and his legs felt like jelly, his vision was blurred, and his stomach was in knots. He was certain there were a litany of bruises under his clothes where he was kicked. The Italian kept his grasp on Richard’s arm and pushed him further into the cellar.

They walked down a short stone corridor before arriving at a metal door. Richard was violently shaking and couldn’t form any sort of words. He unlocked the door and shoved Richard inside. The room was very small and completely made of concrete and stone. There was one small light bulb hanging from the ceiling, making the room glow. There were four other people there, three women and a man. The Italian threw him to the ground and he landed on his back.

Richard was stammering, “Pl-pl-p-please n-no-no-no pl-please no-no.”

“Shut the fuck up!” The Italian barked. “Don’t you say another fucking word! You hear me!” Richard crawled backwards towards the corner wall in pure fear. “I have some guys coming later to break you in. They should set you straight.” With that The Italian stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Richard’s heart shattered when he heard it lock. He crawled backwards and curled up in the corner, pulled his zipped up hoodie over his head, put his head in his hands, and started to cry.

“Just listen to what he says and it makes it more bearable.” He looked up towards the voice with a sniffle. It was the woman next to him about a foot away. She was a young Cuban girl, around his age. She had tan skin and long, curly, black hair, “The first Johns that he uses to for break-ins are pretty hellish, but the ones who pay are generally better. Well...compared to them at least.”

“...What?” Richard was confused

“You don’t know? I'm so sorry;.”

“Know what?”

“That’s Diavolo. He’s a big pimp, a trafficker, for the entire west coast.”

It came to him, ‘ _All that talk. It was about human trafficking.’_ He turned his head opposite of the girl and vomited whatever was left in his stomach, mostly fluids.

* * *

Agents Burke and Shaw walked out of the interrogation room to the bullpen of desks and walked into their conference room where about a dozen agents were hard at work. Files and evidence boxes were spread neatly and organized on the light wooden table with a whiteboard next to the head of the table detailing each Uber Kidnapper victim.

An agent asked Burke, “So, do you think it was him? Was there another one?”

Burke looked down at the files near the whiteboard then back up, “I’m fairly certain.”

“What about Belson?” Another asked

Burke responded, “I doubt it, but we’re going to have someone look into him and keep him as a person of interest for a while. Just to cover our bases.”

Shaw covered her mouth to hide her chuckles which attracted attention from the others, “You just like making rich white guys squirm. Don’t you?”

Burke let out a slight chuckle, “Yeah that is a nice feeling, but more of a side effect. Also, a guy like him most certainly has a couple skeletons in the closet.”

“Boss, what are we going to tell the press? They saw you at Hooli and Uber. They’re asking if there was another victim.”

“Tell them exactly what we’ve told them for the previous vics. The bare minimum.” Burke answered.

* * *

Jared, Dinesh, and Gilfoyle sat in the conference room at Pied Piper. Monica had to go back to Bream Hall and somehow explain this and her absence to Laurie. They didn’t tell anyone at Pied Piper yet.

Jared put his head in his hands, “I don’t know what we should do.”

“What, in all those documents and what if scenarios you made Richard run through, being abducted by a psychopath never came up?” Gilfoyle dryly asked

Jared through his head back and groaned.

Dinesh was looking at something on his computer, “Umm...guys...You should take a look at this.”

The two gathered around Dinesh’s laptop and saw a headline dated for only minutes earlier.

**UBER KIDNAPPER STRIKES AGAIN! PIED PIPER CEO VANISHES!**

“Oh dear.” Jared thoughtlessly remarked. He couldn’t take his eyes off the headline. Even though he had already spoken to the Feds, seeing it in writing made it so much more real.

“ _Ooooh shit.”_ Dinesh muttered

“Oh shit is right.” Gilfoyle muttered back.

“How did they find out?” Dinesh wondered

“The relation between the Feds and the press is complicated.” Jared explained, “We have to go out there and say something right now. Before they find out on their own.”

Before they knew it they were standing in front of the office explaining what happened.

“Is he dead?” One coder asked

That hit Jared like a ton of bricks. He took a deep breath. “The FBI is working on that.” He called on someone else.

“Who’s going to be CEO in his absence?”

“We’re dealing with the case right now, so we haven’t dealt with that yet. We'll keep you updated on what the FBI tells us.” Jared looked around, “Any other questions? No. Alright then.” He took a deep breath, “Keep on working like Richard was here. Because that’s what he would want.” He subtly wiped the tears from his eyes. “Now get back to work.”

* * *

When Gavin walked out of the FBI field office building, Hoover was standing outside waiting for him. His stand was wide and his arms were folded. Hoover was already done with this bullshit.

“What the fuck was that, Gavin?! What haven’t you told me?”

Gavin knew Hoover was just as pissed as he was, “They…” He still couldn’t believe it, “They think I had people impersonate the Uber Kidnapper to make Richard disappear. I’m a “person of interest”.” He did the accompanying air quotes.

“Well... _did you_?”

Gavin was pissed that Hoover thought he’d do that, “No! Of fucking course not! I do have limits you know!”

Hoover shrugged, “I was just wondering. So I can do damage control. You can tell me you know.” He added, “Also, I was wondering where you draw the line? Apparently it’s not at corporate espionage.” They did plant someone in Pied Piper a while back to report back on their progress.

Gavin gave him a look of murder, “A violent crime that could get me twenty to life! That’s where I draw the fucking line!”

Hoover informed, “The Hooli board is obviously not happy. They’re demanding answers.”

“Tell them I didn’t have a guy kidnapped and pinned it on a serial killer.” He stormed to his car.

“Where are you going?”

“Pied Piper. I have to find this fucking idiot so I can clear my damn name.”


	5. Desperate Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin offers his help to the guys. Richard finds comfort in a fellow captive. Jared makes a desperate move.

Gavin Belson calmly and confidently strolled into the Pied Piper offices. He found the conference room without a problem where Jared, Dinesh, and Gilfoyle were sitting at the table discussing their current problem. He noticed they looked like shit. They were trying to figure out what to tell everyone. Employees, the press, investors, and other connections, were asking them what the hell happened and what does it mean for the company in the meantime.

When Jared looked up, his sadness melted to agitation when he saw Gavin outside the conference room. “Oh no.”

“What?” Gilfoyle looked up, “Oh shit. What the fuck does he want?”

He walked into the room without invitation, “Hello gentlemen.”

“We don’t have time for your shit, Gavin.” Dinesh gave an annoyed bitch face, “What do you want?”

He stood at the head of the table, “I heard about Richard. I’m so sorry. It’s a real tragedy.”

Gilfoyle interrupted, “Suck a dick.”

“How eloquent.” Gavin looked towards Gilfoyle then back towards the group, “I can help you find him. I have connections, power, and tons of money. I can make things happen that the Feds can’t.”

“The Feds told us they were going to question you.” Jared brought up, “Did they?”

“Yes, they did. All day. I can assure you that I _did not_ have _anything_ to do with this. When I win, I do it fair and square.”

Well... _mostly._

“Why do you want to do this?” Dinesh was already done with his conversation.

Gavin waved it off, “It’s a good faith gesture.”

“Bullshit.” Gilfoyle leaned back in the chair, “You don’t do anything if it won’t benefit you directly.” He looked at Dinesh and Jared, “If he helps us and we do find Richard and he does help take down the Uber Kidnapper, it would help him in more ways than just the obvious of clearing his name.” He gave Gavin a quick look of daggers, “He helps take down the Uber Kidnapper he’ll be praised as a hero in the press. So great PR for him and Hooli. Since this has been a nightmare for Uber, they’d would be forever indebted to him...and so would we.” He paused to let that sink in, “Nothing says I own your ass like, I saved your life so you owe me.” He gave Gavin another death glare.

That was _exactly_ Gavin’s plan. He realized the other benefits of helping on the ride over from the FBI.

Gavin cut the bullshit, “Do you want Richard back or not?”

“Well of course.” Jared answered

“I have money and resources that the underfunded FBI doesn’t. I know people. They don’t have to stick inside the law. Have _any_ of his victims _ever_ been seen again?” The kidnapper had been on the loose for two years and none of his victims had been seen again, “You’re going to need more than just Fed manpower to catch this guy and find your friend.”

“Get out.” Dinesh pointed towards the door

Gavin raised his hands innocently “Fine.” He started to walk out, “If you change your mind then you know where to find me.”

The three men sat in the conference room, “I can’t believe he did that.”

“I can.” Gilfoyle responded, “Nothing he does really surprises me anymore.”

Jared had been sitting back most of the meeting in thought. He slowly looked up at them, “What if it’s not such a bad idea?”

“Jared, I mean this with all due respect...have you completely lost your mind?”

“Because that is fucking insane!” Dinesh finished

“Hear me out...he has resources. He could help.”

“Didn’t you hear with Gilfoyle said earlier! If he succeeds he would _own_ our asses! We’d have a debt that we could _never_ repay!”

Jared jumped up and snapped, “ _I don’t care_ as long as we get Richard back!” There was silence in the room in surprise of Jared’s outburst.

“Okay, okay. So, best case scenario, We get Richard back and he’s alive and okay.” Gilfoyle glared at Dinesh, “Like I said, it’s the best case scenario...Don’t you think he’ll be pretty pissed that he owes his life and is forever indebted to Gavin fucking Belson. The guy who wants to destroy the company that Richard worked so damn hard for. We’d be selling out to the devil!”

“He’s fucked us over before, he’d do it again.”

“If it works then I don’t care!”

It was clear to the men where Jared’s priorities lie.

Getting Richard back home...by any means possible.

* * *

“What’s your name?” The Cuban girl sat in front of him.

“...R-Richard. You?”

“Gabriella.”

“I-I’m not supposed t-t-to be here. I need to go home. I wan-wanna go home.” His voice cracked and his breathing and heart rate sped up.

She gave a concerned sympathetic look, making sure to make eye contact, “Hey, deep breaths.” She put her hand on his chest, “Deep breath in. Hold it in.” She modeled for him, “Deep breath out.” She exhaled then motioned for him to repeat it. As he took shaky deep breaths she gave him reassuring smiles and nods that somehow managed to make him calm down enough that he wasn’t having a complete panic attack.

She smiled as he calmed, “Good. That’s good.” She put his hand on his heart, “You feel that?” He nodded as he felt his heart beating, she moved his hands over towards his lungs, “And that?” he nodded, “It means you’re going to be okay.” She assured, “You’re not alone.”

When Richard finally had his bearings he looked at her in confusion, “W-why are you, being so nice?”

“It’s the little things that keep you alive. Keep you human.” Survival is a game of inches.

She sat next to him in the corner and gently took his hand. The others in the room just watched them interact. She tried to distract him with conversation, her voice and face were so gentle and kind. “So Richard, where are you from?”

“Tulsa...Oklahoma. Live around, Palo Alto, California.”

She nodded and maintained gentle eye contact, “That’s nice. What do you do?”

“Coding. I have a company. We have offices now.”

“That’s very nice. What do you make?”

“We-we’re coding a new internet.”

She nodded, impressed, “That’s very cool.”

“You’re good at this.” Richard noticed her calming efforts.

Gabriella chuckled, “Good. I haven’t lost my edge.” He pursed his brows in confusion, “I have a bachelors and a doctorate in psychology.”

“Wow.” Richard was impressed, “Where are you from?”

“Havana originally, moved to San Jose when I was older.” She had to ask him a question, her voice got lower, “Um...what year is it?”

His face raised in concern, “2018.”

She nodded and muttered, “Okay, okay.” She asked, “What month?”

“M-May.”

She nodded looking away from Richard. She muttered, “Two years.”

She changed the topic before Richard questioned what that meant. She kept him distracted with light topics until Richard just passed out in pure exhaustion from all the stress. Gabriella continued to sat next to him, holding his hand.

* * *

Agent Burke strolled into the Bureau conference room, “What do you have?” He asked his team.

Agent Shaw pointed to the monitor on the wall with security cam footage. “We examined the security cam footage from outside Bream Hall. They don’t have much in the way of security, so we weren’t able to see the guy’s face, but we were able to get the plate number from the car.”

“Was it the same as the others?” Burke studied the footage on the monitor

“Yeah, different make, model, and plate number than the one registered with the Uber account.”

“Have you tracked down the car yet?”

“Yeah, it was abandoned in a parking lot off I-280. There wasn’t anything in it. No personal effects from him or the victim. Nothing. We’re looking for prints or DNA-”

“Not going to hold my breath. He knows what he’s doing.” Burke deeply sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The Kidnapper normally never left any sort of forensic evidence and normally got rid of any personal belongings of his victim.

Burke and Shaw were getting heat from the higher ups and the press about their lack of progress. There was an unspoken truth between the agents. They had better figure this out pretty damn quick before there was a 12th victim.

* * *

Gavin walked into the restaurant. It was nice but not formal, it wasn’t busy because it was just before the dinner rush. He saw Jared sitting at a table nearby. Gavin sat down at the empty table.

“So, did you rethink my offer?”

“Can you really find Richard?” Jared got straight to the point. He had a no nonsense tone to his voice.

“I have a lot of resources in private security and surveillance. I also have a lot of money and power.” Gavin informed, “Your friends seem to think that I am trying to fuck you over in your time of need.”

Jared nodded matter-of-factly, “Yeah...you probably are.” Gavin was surprised by the comment, “But you know what they say about desperate times.” He gave an uncomfortable smile.

“You know that this will take a lot of time, effort, and pulling some strings to get my contacts on this.” Gavin warned and Jared nodded, “It won’t be cheap. I will be looking for a large payment.”

“Find Richard and take down the Uber Kidnapper, _then and only then,_ will we talk about payment.” He knew that Gavin would not be paid off. He wasn’t in this for the money. He’d want at least part of the company, if not the whole thing.

“Of course.” Gavin didn’t expect Jared to cough up the crown jewels just yet.

“You will keep me updated _every_ step of the way.”

“Of course.” Gavin agreed, “How did you convince the others to agree to this?” Jared was quiet. Gavin was shocked and frankly, impressed, “Wow. You didn’t.”

Jared gazed downwards, “We’re losing time. I can’t waste time trying to convince them...I need to bring Richard home...by any means necessary.”

Gavin was fascinated by Jared’s comments. “...I admire your complete loyalty to Richard. I wish that he felt the same way.” Jared was taken aback by the comment.

“What?”

Gavin ignored him, “I know you’re skeptical, but we’re on the same team.” Gavin excused himself, “Now excuse me. I have calls to make. I need to put my best guys on this.”

Jared sat at the table wondering what Gavin’s comment meant...and if he had just made a terrible mistake. ‘ _It will be worth it. You’ll have Richard back.’_  He repeated in his head over and over. ‘ _Do what you have to do to get Richard back.’_


	6. Breaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard enters a new kind of hell. Everyone meets to discuss Pied Piper's future in Richard's absence. Jared reaches a breaking point.

Richard awoke and shook when he opened his eyes. He remembered what happened, the kidnapping, the beating. He frantically looked around and saw Gabriella sitting on the cold stone floor asleep next to him. He slightly calmed when he saw her and remembered her kindness. He noticed how skinny she was, scantily clad in a cocktail dress with a thin jacket over it, worn makeup covered up some bruises on her cheek and eye. He also noticed a scar under her collarbone that looked like it was from a burn. He found it odd that it was in the shape of a puzzle piece. She stirred and woke up, “Hey. How you feeling?”

“Where did you get those bruises and that scar?” He pointed to where the old makeup was supposed to be covering them and towards her collarbone.

“Sometimes Johns get rough. They’re not supposed to.” She brushed it off and looked away. “He gets really angry when they do.” She ignored his question about the burn.

“Who?”

“Diavolo.”

He remembered what she told him. He was hoping that this was all just a horrifying dream and he’d wake up in bed. Jared would insist on making a big breakfast because he would tell Richard, “you can’t live on cereal and ramen”. Richard didn’t really know how to cook which always baffled Jared. He’d ask how Richard managed to get into his 20’s without really knowing how to cook and he was just as baffled as Jared.

Richard was taken from his trance when Gabriella got his attention, “How are you feeling?”

“...Terrified...my ribs, head, and legs really hurt. Like they’re burning.”

“He hit you before?” Richard nodded, “He probably cracked your ribs. They’ll hurt like a bitch for a while but you’ll survive.” He was glad that it apparently wasn’t bad...but he was concerned about how she knew that. He prayed it wasn’t from personal experience.

Everything got silent when they heard the door unlock. Richard’s heart stopped when he saw Diavolo at the door. He made direct eye contact with Richard, “You.” He pointed and two tall, muscular, men came in and headed towards him. Richard crawled backwards into the corner, even though there was nowhere to go. He gave Gabriella a panicked look. She looked away so he couldn’t see the pain and helplessness on her face.

One of the men grabbed Richard’s arm and pulled him up. Using the death grip the men pulled him out of the cell, slamming and locking the door behind them. They dragged him down the short stone hallway into another room and shoved him to the ground. Richard fell on his side with a hard thud onto the light brown stone floor. Diavolo stood over him, staring down at Richard with a malicious smile. Richard wanted to scream, cry, plead, but he could only manage tears and whimpers.

The strong men pushed Richard onto his back and pinned down his arms and legs. He struggled under their grasp but he couldn’t move.

There was a large black wrought iron kettle in the corner of the room which contained a small smouldering fire. Diavolo held a large iron rod over the kettle. The end of the rod was carved into the shape of a small puzzle piece. The heat from the fire made the end turn red hot. The rod angrily hissed and sizzled when he pulled it away from the fire.

He walked towards Richards with the red hot iron rod. When Richard saw Diavolo coming towards him his brain instantly made the connection. He uselessly thrashed under the men’s grasps and started screaming incoherent pleas.

“You should be still for this. Take a deep breath.” It was a warning but it sounded like a taunt coming from Diavolo who towered over him.

One of his men pushed away the flap of Richard’s hoodie and ripped open his rumpled button up shirt. Diavolo brought down the rod and rammed it on the pale skin just below Richard’s collarbone.

At first Richard barely felt anything due the intense amount of adrenaline in his system and his brain and body trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. He heard the rod angrily spit and sizzle against his skin. He smelled the awful acrid odor of burning skin. Once his brain and body caught up with what was happening Richard was suddenly washed in a torturous pain that caused him to let out a piercing scream and thrash wildly, even though it was useless under the grips of Diavolo’s men. The seconds the rod was firmly pressed on his skin felt like an eternity. When the rod was finally removed the burnt skin’s reaction to the cold air in the room set off a whole new wave of completely mind searing pain.

Richard could barely breathe. His heart thrashed against his chest and he felt like he was going to vomit. When he finally did get a few small deep breaths in the contraction of his chest just irritated the charred skin even more. It didn’t take long for the pain to cause him to pass out.

When he came back to consciousness his vision was blurry and it took a few seconds for his mind to come to it. He realized he was now on his stomach and he felt like he was still being pinned down to the floor. He heard the men laughing and yelling obscenities. He realized they were talking about him. He felt someone pressing down on him, like they were sitting on him. He felt an intense piercing violating sensation which introduced him to a whole new brand of pain. His shock riddled brain finally pieced together what was happening. Even though his muscles ached and his voice was hoarse he still tried to scream and fight off the attackers.

The men laughed in response and tightened their grip on his limbs. This drug on for hours until the men decided they were done with him.

When they were finished the men exchanged a few words with Diavolo before leaving. Richard was covered in bruises and cuts as well as the brand on his chest. Blood, sweat, and semen seeped through his clothes and his pants were at his ankles. Every single cell in his body was in pure agony.

“Get up you piece of shit!” When there was no response Diavolo gave him a kick. He looked to see if Richard had passed out or dead. He was awake...but he wasn’t there, mentally. His eyes were glazed over and he was almost catatonic. Diavolo groaned and called two of his men back in. He ordered them to take Richard back to the cell. They grabbed his arms and pulled him back down the hallway to the cell. They opened the door and tossed him down unceremoniously, leaving with a huff.

As soon as he left Gabriella jumped up, “Help me get him to the corner.” The others went to help, “Pull up his pants too.”

After they got him to the corner and leaned him up against the wall, “Give him some space.” Which they did. She looked at him with kindness and concern, “Richard, are you with me? Are you with me, Richard?” He eventually gave a small groan. She grabbed his hand, “You’re okay now. It’s over.” There wasn’t too much she could say to comfort him, but she did what she could. She took his hand and held it to his heart. “You feel that? You’re going to be okay. Your heart is still beating and your lungs are still breathing. You’ll be okay.”

She had on a small jacket over her dress. She used the sleeve to wipe off his face. Soon he started to violently shake, she went to zipper up his now dirty green hoodie but he whimpered and batted her hands away.

She put her hands up innocently, “Okay.” So she just sat next him. After a while she gently went for his hand. He batted her away again but a few seconds later he slightly reached out his hand for hers.

* * *

After the staff left Pied Piper for the day, there was an emergency board meeting. Laurie requested that Dinesh and Gilfoyle attend as well as Monica and Jared.

“So we are here due to today’s events, to address what happens to Pied Piper in Richard Hendrick’s absence.” Laurie began

Jared couldn’t believe they were actually talking about this but Dinesh actually brought up, “He’s been gone less than a day. Isn’t this meeting a little soon?”

Laurie responded with her usual candor and demeanor, “Well we don’t know how long this will be, none of the other victims have ever been see again,” Jared winced. He didn’t need the reminder, “The company will not stop running because he’s absent. It has to continue.” The group thought her words were almost inspiring...but with her demeanor it instead came across as cold and as a matter of fact.

“As I understand the press has been asking you for comments.” They nodded, “I’ll put you in contact with a PR representative to help you with them. What to say, how much to say, etc.” Monica knew the press would be all over something like this.

Laurie brought up another topic, “Today, I told Jared to look at Richard’s will to see who would take over as CEO in his absence.” When Laurie told him to look it up Jared almost couldn’t do it. He was far from ready.

Jared took a breath and took it from there, “Well...Richard was always squeamish when we had to talk about matters like this.” Jared kept shifting his body weight uncomfortably. It was clear that he did _not_ want to be talking about this, “But he wanted to hire someone from inside that had not only a knowledge of the company but an expert knowledge of coding. Also, once the company started to grow and expand, he realized the amount of interpersonal and communication skills that are required of a CEO.” Everyone was looking at him to continue, “All that being said...he chose Dinesh.”

Dinesh gulped. It wasn’t his first time hearing this, but it was still a shock, “I can’t believe that he chose me.”

Gilfoyle leaned back and crossed his arms, “I told Richard years ago that I would never want to be a CEO and I think the job sucks ass. Good luck with all the daily bullshit he had to deal with.”

Dinesh had that dawning realization and just vacantly stared at the wall.

Monica took a deep breath and got them back on task, “Okay, so Dinesh will be interim CEO until...this is resolved. Jared can work with the Feds, Dinesh will ensure that the company still runs, and Gilfoyle can split his time between the two.”

“We will revisit this at a later date. If he has been declared dead or the case is cold, then Dinesh will officially inherit the company, all its assets, the board seat, and his company equity.” Laurie finished, “I believe that we are finished.” She gathered her things and got up to leave.

Dinesh was still staring at the wall, “I need to get piss drunk. Who’s in?”

“Yes.” Monica jumped at the chance to get drunk as did Gilfoyle.

“Jared, you in?” Monica asked

Jared put his hands up with an uncomfortable smile, “Oh no, no. I don’t drink.”

Dinesh looked at him with exasperation, “Oh come on. Drop the boy scout act for one night. After today you need a fucking drink.”

“On no.” Jared insisted, “I’m just going to go home.”

“Are you sure?” Monica was concerned

“Yeah.”

* * *

Jared got home that night to his lonely apartment. As he put his computer bag down on his couch his brain told him to eat something, because he hadn’t eaten all day, but he wasn’t hungry. Instead, he slowly ventured into the bedroom. When Richard came to Jared that night saying that he had been kicked out of his house, of course Jared let him stay as long as he’d like. He warmly welcomed Richard’s company and had insisted on giving Richard the bedroom.

Jared told Richard to make himself at home, but Richard had insisted that it was only going to be for a few days until he got back on his feet. That was months ago. As far as Jared knew Richard wasn’t even looking for anywhere else to live. Jared didn’t mind in the slightest, he relished any chance he got to be around Richard.

He looked down at Richard’s duffle bag of clothes that were sitting on the floor near the wall. There was a red hoodie sitting on top of the bag. He slowly walked over towards the bag and picked up the hoodie. He rolled it up and squeezed it. He sat down on the bed and clutched it to his chest, inhaling Richard’s scent.

Suddenly he couldn’t do it anymore. He was surprised he managed to hold it in all day but he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He started to loudly weep. Once the tears started he couldn’t stop them. He couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing Richard again. He couldn’t handle Richard being so scared and alone. What if he was hurt? Or worse...dead.

Jared’s heavy sobs rang through the apartment until he finally fell into a restless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my tumblr, onequartercanadian, for more SV, more writing, and a lot of other shit.


	7. Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard starts to process everything's that's happened. The guys brief the company on what's been going on. Jared comes to a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, but the next is fairly long and quite plotty!

“Hey, Richard, can you say something? Anything, please!” Gabriella was sitting in front of him, begging for some sort of response. Richard was still in shock from all the trauma Diavolo's men had inflicted on him.

“He still not responsive?” A young girl, no older than 17 asked. She was tall with light skin and long blonde hair. 

Gabriella responded, “No, not really. Which worries me.”  

“If he’s not when he comes back then he’ll-”

“SUMMER!” Gabriella reprimanded her. Summer sat back down. Gabriella, didn’t want her to say it. 

Killed.

Diavolo would kill Richard without remorse or hesitation if he wasn’t useful. 

She knew it for a fact. They all did.

They’ve seen it happen.

“He’ll snap out of it.” Luis a young boy, around 17, said from across the cell. “Just give him a little longer.” He was a short, kind of lanky Mexican with scruffy black hair. 

Another girl, Marie, she was Chinese in her early twenties. She pushed back her shoulder length black hair from her small face.“I don’t know how much longer we have till he comes back.” 

A thick silence filled the freezing stone cell.

“We were going to watch Netflix, order Thai food.” Everyone whipped their heads towards the voice. They were surprised yet relieved to hear Richard speaking. “Jared always said that Thai food was too spicy for him, but he still ate it constantly.” There was a small smile on his face at the memory, he continued to stare at the wall. When Gabriella moved towards him she saw his eyes were still vacant.

“Who’s Jared?” Gabriella grabbed his hand

He looked at her, tears forming in his eyes, “He...he’s my best friend.” Tears slid down his face, “He’s gonna notice. He’ll be looking. He...he won’t, give up.” His voice cracked, “He worries so much. Li-like me. He st-st-stuck by me for so long. He won’t give up.”

Gabriella gently rubbed his shoulder, “He sounds like a good friend.”

Even though Richard was looking at her, he seemed like he was so far away, “Every….every time we...I...got into trouble. He...he found a way. A way out. He’ll d-do it again. He’ll get me out.”

Gabriella’s shoulders sank and everyone gave him a sympathetic look. They had all thought that at some point. That their friends and family were going to find them. That perhaps they were still looking.

They had an ounce of hope that perhaps this time would be different. Well...most of them.

“Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that.” Luis sarcastically muttered which got him a shove from Marie. “What? No one’s coming for us. Craig will confess to killing us before he flips on Diavolo.”

* * *

 

After a restless night, by some miracle Jared made it to the office. He looked a little rough with ruffled hair and a vest to cover up his rumpled dress shirt, barely changing from the day before. He saw Dinesh and Gilfoyle sitting at their workstations but not doing anything. He squinted in confusion when he saw Gilfoyle wearing sunglasses inside, both looked like absolute shit. He knew they were both hungover.

Jared went into the kitchen and grabbed some mugs from the cabinet and filled them with some coffee from the already brewed pot. He brought the mugs over to them, “Thought you guys may need this.” They groaned and took the coffee, “How much did you guys drink last night?”

Gilfoyle took a gulp, “I don’t remember much after we switched from vodka to rum.”

“Wow, I barely remember the vodka.” Dinesh sipped the coffee.

“How did you get home?”

“We were all adamantly against ride sharing so Monica called one of her friends to come pick us up.” Gilfoyle took another gulp of coffee and set it on the desk.

“Well you two need to sober up because you need to help me, and Dinesh, you need to update the staff.”

“What? Why me?”

“Don’t you remember what happened last night?”

“Not really, no.”

Gilfoyle was sitting on the desk holding his throbbing head, “Fuck, stop shouting at each other.”

Jared rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Dinesh, “Laurie made you interim CEO until...this is sorted out.”

Dinesh sobered up real fast once he remembered that meeting, “Fuck...you’re right.” He thought for a few moments, “I  _ royally _ fucked up last time. Why did he choose me? What if I fuck up again?”

“Because regardless of the past, he believes in you.”

Gilfoyle cut in, “Hey, there might be a bright side in all this.” The two looked at him, “Perhaps you’ll really fuck up again and I can relish in your failure again. Although nothing can beat last time.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Dinesh took a sip of the hot coffee.

The three stood in front of the company to update them on the case and company. Jared took a deep breath and started, “In...in light of what happened yesterday we had a meeting last night about what will happen to the company in Richard’s absence. Please continue to work, although there will be searches for Richard and I encourage you all to volunteer whenever possible.” He took a deep breath and gestured for Dinesh to take over.

"Yeah, um. I’m going to be taking over while this is going on...any questions?” One guy raised his hand, “Yes.”

“So is Richard dead?”

That hit Jared like a ton of bricks. It was all he had been thinking about since this happened. He  _ hated _ whenever someone brought it up.

He couldn’t handle it.

“We’re going to work with the FBI to figure it out.” Dinesh answered

Another guy huffed, “He’s not coming back.”

“Excuse me?” Jared challenged

“This guy’s been on the loose for years and none of his victims have ever been seen again. What makes you think this is going to be different?” He pointed out

The room fell deathly silent. Jared couldn’t look at anyone. He felt like he was going to break down again right there in front of the entire company.

Another coder finally broke the silence, “I heard he was a serial killer. Is that true?”

“I heard a rumor that he’s a trafficker. Is that true?” News and rumors spread like wildfire in the Valley.

Dinesh looked at the others, who were just as much at a loss for words as Dinesh was. “As far as we’ve been told, there is no evidence of any of that. We’ll let you know when they have an identification.” Jared informed

 

After the meeting Jared ran outside. He needed some air. He felt like he was suffocating. His body wouldn’t stop shaking and his heart was beating a mile a minute. He was in the parking lot running towards his car when the emotions spilled out. He started to cry again. He fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands in an useless effort to silence the sobs. He worried that Richard was dead, or worse. He knew Richard would be terrified. Jared couldn’t stand the idea of him being alone and so afraid. He knew that Richard was probably a total wreck. He shakily muttered through his tears, “We-we’re going to figure this o-out, Richard. I’m going to find you. I’m-I’m going to find you.  _ I promise _ .”

The same thoughts ran through his panicked mind.

‘ _ I need to find him. I need to find him. I can’t lose him. I just can’t. I won’t survive.’ _

_ ‘I need him.’ _


	8. Hurts Like Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard finds out some important information about Gabriella. The guys start a search party where Jared meets someone who opens his eyes to why he's the most affected by Richard's disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by; Hurts Like Hell; Fleurie, I Love Him; Lana Del Rey, and Waiting; Norah Jones.

Jared couldn’t just sit there and do nothing to help Richard. After the meeting that morning and recovering from his breakdown he called one of the agents in charge, Agent Burke. He made it well known that he wasn’t just going to sit around and wait for information. He felt the overwhelming urge to do _something, anything_ to help. So they let him help coordinate search efforts with a local search and rescue organization the Feds used, the C.E.M.P. Search and Rescue (California Emergency Medical Patrol). Jared was happy that he could do _something_ to help the investigation.

He was terrified about what could be happening to Richard. ‘ _He knows we’re looking right? Right?’_ He kept thinking. ‘ _He must be so terrified. Oh god when he was taken he must have been so damn terrified. What if they hurt him? What have they already done to him?’_ A million scenarios of what could have happened raced through his head. Each more horrific than the last. He shook the images and thoughts from his head and focused on his task.

 

The search center would be headquartered at a local office building where the organization had reserved office space. Jared started reaching out to everyone he knew, asking them to help out. A lot of people were very willing to help out the cause. There was a part of him that wondered how long the help would stay. If this dragged on for months on end, would people stop caring enough to help out? Would the case grow cold? He shook his head and got the thoughts out of his mind. He had to stay focused. He jumped when his phone ring and immediately answered it without even looking at the caller ID, “Yes?”

“Jared. It’s Gavin Belson.”

“Have you found anything yet?”

He scoffed, “No, not yet. I just got my men mobilized, they’re starting the investigation today.” He got to point of his call very quickly, “Anyway I’d receive payment earlier?”  

Jared sighed and rubbed his forehead, “If you find Richard, then we’ll talk. Otherwise, you get nothing. Like we discussed. Keep me updated.” Jared knew better than to pay him upfront.  He was desperate, not stupid.

Gavin was somewhat impressed, “I’ll call with any updates.”

Jared hung up with a sigh. He hadn’t told the guys about his deal with Gavin. He’d deal with their wrath and Gavin if this actually worked. He wasn’t worried any of it now. He was just focused on finding Richard.

* * *

The five were huddled together in the freezing cold cell. Although they were careful to give Richard some space. He was now curled up in a ball in the same corner, his dirty green hoodie zipped up and over his head, like he was trying to cover as much of him as he could with it. It covered his curls that were now matted down with blood and sweat.

“She offered me a ride home.” Everyone looked at him, he was still vacantly staring at the wall. His voice was low, almost a whisper,  “Why didn’t I say yes? Why didn’t I say yes?”

This got Gabriella’s attention, “What do you mean, Richard?”

“I...I could be safely at work now, terrified of having to...speak in front of my entire company.” He scoffed, for it seemed so easy now, “If I only just...took the damn ride.”

Gabriella got his attention by getting into his line of sight, “Hey! It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault! You _need_ to understand that!”

He looked up her, entranced in the memory of just before his abduction, “I thought I was going to be okay. That it would never happen to me...You never think it’d be you.” He looked back down, tears streamed down his face. He didn’t even bother to wipe them away.

Gabriella was curious by what Richard meant by that, “What do you mean? How did he take you?”

His voice sounded so far away, “...After a meeting, Monica, asked to drive me home...I said I’d be fine with an Uber-”

“Wait! You were taken from an Uber?” Richard looked curiously at the intensity of her voice. He seemed to be connecting more with the world around him.

“Why?”

“I was too.” He looked at Gabriella in confusion. “I was coming home from a bar. My friends wanted to go to another bar, but I wanted to go home. I wasn’t drunk but I didn’t have my car with me. Since you don’t bring your car to a night of drinking, I called an Uber. Did he mess with your app and you ended up in the mountains?”

Richard was in shock. Because that’s _exactly_ what happened to him. When he didn’t answer she prodded more, grabbing and shaking his shoulders, “Richard, _please_ answer me! I’m _begging_ you!”

He nodded. There was a silent terror on his face. “How many has he taken?!” Her gentle kindness had completely dissolved into animalistic determination, “How many has he taken!?”

“I-I-I dunno. ten, I think. Not including me.”

Gabriella looked away and started to calm, clearly thinking about what Richard had said, “Okay...okay.”

“Why?” His brain wasn’t working at 100% and he was confused as to why she was asking him all this.

“I know that’s how he gets new ones to Diavolo...Two years ago...I was his first victim.”

Before Richard could ask further the cellar door unlocked and Diavolo stood in the doorway. Richard instinctively buried his head and wrapped his arms tighter around his legs.

“Come on, it’s time to go to work.” Diavolo motioned for them to come forward.

* * *

The second morning after Richard’s disappearance Jared headed into the office turned search center with Gilfoyle and Dinesh behind him. Jared still looked like absolute shit. He probably had slept a total of an hour or so over since this all started.

There were several rows of workstations set up with some computers. A table in front had a large picture of Richard and some bottles of water. When they arrived they were surprised by how many people were there. A lot of Pied Piper employees, past colleagues, some former investors and old connections, friends, and a lot of Feds and local cops to lead the search. There were about a few dozen volunteers there which was a pleasant surprise for Jared.

Dinesh took Gilfoyle to mingle and thank people for coming before they started the search. Jared noticed someone that he did not recognize. He was a young, tall Cuban man with jet black hair. Jared walked over towards him, “Hi, I’m Jared. Thanks for coming. Do you know Richard?”

The man had a sympathetic look on his face, “No. I don’t...I heard he was taken from an Uber.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The man gazed down with a sigh then back up again, “My wife, Gabriella, was taken from an Uber two years ago.”

Jared gave him a shocked and sympathetic look, “I’m so sorry.” He asked, “What’s your name?”

“Alex. Alex Hernández.” They shook hands, “When I heard that he struck again....” Tears formed in his eyes, “That he’s still out there. Doing God knows what. I have to help...Everytime I hear about another abduction I have to help.”

Jared had to know, “Do they have anything on what happened?”

Alex slightly bit his lip and shook his head, “No. Not really.”

Jared sighed and his face fell, “I’m so sorry.” He worried that Richard would be the same way. Alex had been searching everyday for two years. He was determined to never give up on his wife.

Every time Alex heard about another abduction he hoped that perhaps this time would be different. That they’d find the guy and he’d find out what happened to his wife.

But each time eventually reached a dead end.

Alex was desperately trying not to lose hope.

“I...I have to ask. These has been the worst few days of my life...and um...that’s saying something. Does...does it ever get better?”

Alex’s face fell and Jared knew the answer, “No. It doesn’t. The never knowing. It’s _stays_ as a nagging, itching, burning sensation that just never goes away. It weighs on you in a way that nothing else can. You always feel just so... _incomplete_. It’s so hard to keep hope when all logic is against you. When you’ve searched and searched and came to nothing but dead ends...It hurts like hell….Every night our seven year old son, Rafael, still asks ‘when’s Mamá coming home?’...So yeah, I wish I could say it gets better...but it just hurts like hell.”

Jared just stood in depressed shock. He was too in shock to say anything. He was taken out of his daze when Gilfoyle called to him from the door across the room where everyone was waiting, “You just going to stand there all day or are we going get on with this?”

* * *

They first went to the coordinates where Richard disappeared. The group spread out across the dry and barren grasslands around the Black Mountains west of Palo Alto.

Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and a few others were searching the west side of the grasslands. Looking for anything that could be connected to the abduction.

They were mostly silent until Dinesh asked, “Has it sunk in yet?”

“What?” Gilfoyle didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Everything that’s happened. That a serial killer probably killed our friend. Has it sunk in yet?”

They stepped over some large light brown stocks of grass, “You mean has my mind metaphorically wrapped around the reality yet?” Dinesh nodded, “Then yes, it has.”

“It’s just sinking in for me now…You know, we’re just normal people.”

“And?” Gilfoyle didn’t know where Dinesh was going with this, nor did he really care, but he humored the guy.

“Serial killers and psychopaths don’t happen to normal people like us.”

Gilfoyle let out an annoyed sigh, “Yes, they do. That’s _exactly_ who they happen to. Research any serial killer and that’s what you’ll find. Normal people going missing and turning up dead, or not at all. We’re not in a movie, Dinesh. Get your head out of your ass.”

Dinesh responded as deadpan and sarcastic as possible, “Thanks. That’s so comforting.”

“You’re welcome.” He dryly responded, “You remember the 48 hour rule?”

“Yeah. If crimes aren’t solved within the first 48 then they probably won’t be solved at all.” His stomach sank and Gilfoyle nodded, “So you don’t think the Feds are going to find Richard?”

They continued walking and searching through the field, “I don’t have confidence in the establishment to find Richard. Not only do I not believe they are competent enough, but they have so far failed ten similar victims in the past, spanning over two years. The last disappearing just a couple of weeks ago. She hasn’t been heard from since and to my knowledge, they have nothing on her whereabouts or the identity of who took her.” He looked at Dinesh, “So no, I don’t think they will find Richard due to their _gross_ incompetence. But if you are looking for hope and optimism, you _know_ I’m _not_ the person to talk to.”

They continued their search in silence for a while before Dinesh spoke up again, “Poor Jared. The guy looks like absolute shit. Looks like he hasn’t slept since this happened.”

“Well yeah, that’ll happen when the guy you love disappears.” Gilfoyle was very nonchalant and didn’t stop searching around the countryside. Dinesh stopped and stood in front of Gilfoyle, making him stop as well.

“What?”

“Oh you didn’t notice? How could you not?”

Dinesh nodded, “No, I did. I just didn’t know if you noticed.”

Gilfoyle lightly scoffed, “Those two have been in love for years. The deaf, dumb, and blind, have noticed. The only ones who haven’t noticed are them because they are emotionally stunted children who are too scared to act on their emotions.”

Dinesh just shook his head, “Poor guy. If Jared ever realizes it he very well may never get to tell Richard.”

“It’s like out of a goddamn Greek tragedy.”

* * *

Jared and Alex were walking along the east side of grasslands, looking for anything that could be evidence.

Jared was telling Alex about Richard. “I remember one night we drank a whole 6 pack between the two of us and got super drunk-” He noticed how confused Alex was, “We both have really low tolerances for alcohol.”

He retorted with a slight chuckle, “Yeah, I can tell.”

“We just ended up on my couch in a mess of giggles while watching terrible movies on Netflix. We couldn’t laughing about how in _Bright_ there is no explanation for centaur-cop but they’re hyper focused about the orcs are different than the humans.” He smiled, entranced in the memory as they searched. “His laugh is just...it can light up a room. His smile is absolutely infectious...Sometimes when he’s really happy, he’ll do a little dance. It’s so adorable.” Alex recognized the look on his face and the tone of his voice, how he talked about Richard. There was a joy, a light, that Alex recognized.

It was exactly how he felt about Gabriella.

Jared was in love.

They stopped walking and Jared turned towards Alex but couldn’t look him in the eyes, because this was too personal but he had to say it, “He’s far from perfect. He’s messed up a lot. Did things I didn’t think we right, but I know that he did them for the right reasons. I was always there for him. I always will be. Because...he’s... _extraordinary_ . He inspires me to be better, at everything. A lot of people don’t find him inspiring...but I do. He’s a fighter. In his own way, he'll fight to survive. I know he will. He fought for years to get his company off the ground, and I was right there with him every step of the way. Even though there were times where I was the only one who believed in him. When he didn’t believe in himself...I did. He’s my best friend. I _can’t_ lose him.”

Alex looked at him with seriousness and compassion, ‘ _This poor bastard. Does he realize that he’s so deeply in love with Richard? That he might have lost the love of his life forever?’_ Alex knew how that felt.

He wouldn’t wish it on anybody.

“It sounds like he’s more than just your friend.”

Jared looked up at him. His mouth was slightly open and his eyebrows pursed in confusion, “What?”

“Do you find yourself always thinking about him? Always wanting to be with him? Even when you’re not getting along you still want to be with him? Do you find yourself always wanting even a little extra time with him? You love all his little quirks, even the ones that annoy the crap out of you? Especially those. Do you want the best for him? Even if that’s a determinant to you? Can nothing or no one replace what you two have together? The overwhelming feelings you get when he’s around? Is the thought of never seeing him again just too much to handle and threaten to destroy you? Since he disappeared, you can’t eat, you can’t sleep. You can’t think about anything else but getting him back? Till it threatens to send you to the brink of insanity.”

“Ye-yes. That’s exactly it.”

“That’s love.” Jared looked at him like he was just now realizing what Alex had just said. “Losing someone you truly love hurts like hell. Because it leaves a hole in you that can never be filled. You never truly stop loving someone. That’s just not how it works. Love is fighting like hell, to hang on to every second you have together. Fighting for more time. Fighting for them. Even when people call you crazy and say you should move on. Don’t. Because giving up, moving on, that’s not what love is. I’ve been fighting for Gabriella since the day she disappeared. I will never stop fighting. Just as I will never stop loving her. I’m fighting _because_ I love her.”

Jared looked away, realizing why he felt how he felt. Why did what he did.  “I...That’s why, this has been harder on me than anyone else. Why I made a deal for help from an old foe who will most definitely fuck us over, but I don’t care. If it works then it’s worth it. Because...I love him. I love him. I love him. I...always...knew that he was special to me. That I had feelings for him...I just...never thought to...label it...It never...occurred to me that it was love. Romantic, love.” His voice cracked, “And now I may never get the chance to tell him.” His eyes started to swell with tears.

Alex rubbed his shoulder in consolation.

They heard a distant yell from Dinesh across the field, “Hey, guys! I think we found something!”


	9. Not Strong Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared learns more about Alex and Gabriella. After being forced to work for the ring, Richard doubts his strength to survive.

Jared and Alex ran over towards where Dinesh and the others were standing. There were cops and Feds yelling at people not to touch anything.

“What?! What did they find?!” Jared pushed through people to see.

He saw what appeared to be Richard’s broken laptop laying on the ground with the black laptop bag nearby. Jared thoughtlessly put his hand up towards his face in shock. “Oh god. That’s his laptop.” He muttered.

Shaw heard his utterance, “Can you ID this as Richard’s laptop?”

He nodded, “Yeah. It is.”

Gilfoyle visually inspected it, “It doesn’t look like the guy set out to break it. It looks like it was thrown like a frisbee.” He looked at the others, “We’re not too far from the road and that laptop is light and aerodynamic. Along with any animals that tried to move it so they could eat it. It’s possible.”

Agent Shaw grabbed a couple of her men to take the evidence back to the Bureau where _hopefully_ they could get some fingerprints or DNA from the kidnapper. Agent Shaw had some of her men take the laptop and bag back to the Bureau and the rest continued their search.

Jared was still searching with Alex. As they continued to scour the mountainside, Jared looked at Alex, “Thank you.”

He looked up, “For what?”

“For helping.” Jared said simply, “Not just with the search…” His voice trailed off. Alex knew what he meant.

“You’re welcome.”

As they walked through the grasslands than came up to about their shins Jared asked, “I know I’ve talked a lot about Richard. What’s...Gabriella like. If you don’t mind me asking.”

“No, of course not.” He smiled at the mere thought of her, “She has a kindness and a generosity that is rarely seen by people. Always wanting to help and comfort people who she knew needed it most. She has a tendency to take people most in need under her wing. That’s why she got her PhD in psychology and started her own practice. I supported her and cheered her on while she wrote her dissertation.”

“Wow, that’s really great.”

“She really has a knack for helping and comforting people. Even between a dissertation and, at the time, a toddler, she still found the time to volunteer at various non-profits to help those most in need, including the Human Rights Foundation. She’s always been an activist, even back home.”

“A human rights activist in Cuba?”

“Yeah.” He subtly bit his lip and nodded, “You know, she still helps people even when she was the one in the most need.”

“What do you mean?”

Alex looked down then back at him, “It’s a long story.”

“Do you mind...telling?” Jared gently prodded out of sheer curiosity

Alex took a deep breath, “We met when we were 18. We both got into Universidad de la Habana on full academic scholarship. Just happy to be there, you know?” Jared nodded. He knew the feeling, “We were young and in love. Learning all these new things. She was getting her undergrad in psychology, I was getting mine in anthropology. As well as helping others, she loves to write.” They walked over some tall stocks of grass, “In college, she posted some poems and papers with an underground press...let’s just say the government found out wasn’t happy about it.”

Jared let out a small gasp, “What were they about?”

“We were young college kids in love. They were about sex, love, freedom, democracy. The government wasn’t too happy about the last two.”

They were quiet as they walked for a few moments.

“What happened?”

“We started getting threats from the government to stop and apologize. Gabriella refused. We knew that we were on thin ice. It was only a matter of time before she was arrested. Then I’d never see her again….around this time we found out that she was pregnant with our son, Rafael. So, as soon as we could. We left. Since we were two scholarship kids, we didn’t have much money. We spent everything we had getting out of Cuba. When we got to Miami we had nothing and were expecting a child. Luckily we were able to get asylum, but we can never go home.”

They had stopped walking and Jared’s face had dropped in shock, “Wow. You’re in political exile. That’s so _cool._ ” Alex gave him a really confused look, “In a _terrible, terrible,_ way. Of course.”

They continued searching the fields, “...You know, for the first couple of months. We were homeless. We lived on the streets and various homeless shelters. Even being homeless and pregnant, she still helped and protected other people in the shelters. She always thinks of others first and herself last. That’s the kind of person she is. Selfless, kind, nurturing, protective. Sometimes to her own detriment.” He got back to the story, “Eventually, we managed to get on our feet, we both finished college on scholarships. She went after her PhD. Everything was good.”

“Wow, she sounds like an inspiration.”

Alex looked ahead as his face fell, “Yeah...she really is...and one day...I’ll see her again...We’ll be a family again.”

* * *

“Come on, it’s time to go to work.” Diavolo motioned for them to come forward. His goons were behind him. The four hesitantly got up. Gabriella gently prodded Richard to follow suit. He hesitantly rose on shaky feet.

“Follow him.” Diavolo demand and pointed to one of his muscular goons who nodded and motioned for the group to follow.

He lead the group down the dimly lit stone hallway to another room. It was similar to the cell except it was much larger. There were two armed guards by the door. It had an slightly enclosed area off to the left with what appeared to be a shower area with a ‘shower’. It was more like an open pipe from the wall that they turned on.

He grabbed Richard’s arm and pulled him over towards the shower area. He stopped and commanded, “Strip.”

Richard looked up at him, terrified and confused, “W-what?”

“Strip. Now.” His voice was cold and angry. All business.

Richard froze and his hands clasped onto his hoodie. His security blanket. He couldn’t move. The man raised his black t-shirt just enough for Richard to see the handgun stashed there. He slowly and shakily took off his clothes. Tears streamed down his face. He held in faint whimpers. Once he was stripped down to his underwear he stopped. The man raised his eyebrows and motioned for him to continue. So Richard did. Once he was finished all his dirty clothes were in a pile next to him. He felt the need to cover himself. He slowly and shakily bent down to cover himself. The man turned on the pipe shower and said in a no-nonsense voice, “You’ve got five minutes. Hurry up.”

Richard got under the stream of water that was surprisingly strong. The ice cold water only made his violent shaking worse. He tried to rub off some of the grime and blood from his skin and hair. He saw the litany of bruises that already littered his legs and chest. He felt so dirty inside and out. He wondered if he would ever feel clean again. He crouched down with his back flush against the wall in a feeble attempt for some privacy in the room and to cover himself.  The rush of water washed away the tears on his face and droned out his faint whimpers that he couldn’t contain any longer.

Before long the man came back and threw a small threadbare towel at him. He shut off the water, “Time’s up.” Richard grabbed the towel and tried to put it around his waist. The coverage was piss poor but it was better than nothing. He walked out and saw the man push Summer into the shower giving her the same instructions. The man threw a pair of jeans, shoes, and a thin grey t-shirt at Richard. “Put those on.” Richard quickly toweled off and was happy to be clothed again. He was quick to notice that he wasn’t given underwear. He looked up at the man who glared at him, seemingly knowing what he was thinking, “You won’t need them. Now hurry the fuck up before I beat your ass.”

Richard hurriedly put on the clothes. They were a little big on him, but then again, most clothes were, since he was so skinny.

About twenty minutes later everyone had gone through the same routine. Luis was similarly dressed to Richard. The women were scantily clad in short, tight, cocktail dresses. He gave each of the girls a pill. At first Richard didn’t know what it was. He later learned it was birth control. They said that pregnancies weren’t good for business. The man handed Marie a bottle of vodka. She greedly drank a couple gulps, “Don’t hog it, you whore.” The man crudely insulted. She handed it to Richard who was standing next to her. She muttered, “It makes it easier.” He didn’t know what she meant, but there was something about the look in her eyes that told him he should follow her lead. So he did. He took a gulp and was later thankful for his low tolerance for alcohol.

They were lead out of the cellar by Diavolo and one of his goons. One in front of them and one behind them. Once outside, Richard instinctively looked around but it was night so he couldn’t see a damn thing other than it sort of looked like a kind of farm. They were lead to an unsuspecting navy minivan. Used more by moms to get their kids to soccer practice then human traffickers. Gabriella was right behind him. Richard instinctively reached for her hand and clutched to it. Fearing what was to come.

* * *

They sat in the back of the van. It was long and had two rows of carpeted seating behind the driver’s seat. Marie and Luis sat in the far back and Gabriella, Richard, and Summer sat behind the driver’s seat. They rode in complete silence. Richard wondered where they were going but was too afraid to ask. He was still silently panicking. He was shaking and he was trying to keep his breathing under control. His heart was racing a mile a minute and his entire body felt completely numb. Gabriella was sitting next to him and silently tried to calm him down by rubbing his shoulder.

After what felt like forever the van finally stopped and the driver and passenger got out. Diavolo’s man opened the sliding van door and motioned for them to get out. They were at a small ordinary house in a suburban neighborhood. Once Richard got out Diavolo grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him aside. Diavolo pushed him to the other side of the van and shoved Richard against the side door. Diavolo grabbed and pulled up a fistful of Richard’s thin t-shirt until he was inches from his face. Diavolo stared down at him looking like he would snap his neck at any second.

“You’re going to go in there and make me money. You understand?” He maintained his intense eye contact, “And you are _not_ going to say or do _anything_ stupid. You hear me!?” Richard gulped and nodded, his panic renewed, “Because if you so much as _look_ at someone like that _I will know._ I **_will_** find the person that you care about the most and I **_will_** **_kill_** them brutally and without mercy.”

Richard’s eyes filled with pure terror and his jaw dropped, ‘ _Oh god no_ . _No. No. No...not Jared. Do anything you want to me._ _Beat me, hurt me, kill me. But for the love of God. Don't. Hurt. Him.’_

When Diavolo saw the pure terror in Richard’s eyes a vicious smiled crawled across his face. ‘ _His true weakness is revealed...He’s in love.’_

He knew that he had Richard exactly where he wanted him.

Diavolo made a mental note for later to tell his men to find out who this mystery person was. He knew it would be useful to keep Richard in line.

* * *

They were lead into the house where the owners were having a party. EDM music blared through the house. They were lead into the main room where there were a couple dozen already drunk party goers were spread out across the furniture and dancing. The house was small and sparsely furnished. In the white walled living room there was a couch, a lounge chair, and a coffee table. Low ceiling lamps illuminated the space. Bottles of beer and empty cups that once contained hard liquor were littered across the room. Across the room there was a table and a few chairs. Three more people sat there, one smoking a joint and two other snorting what appeared to be cocaine.

“Go. Work.” Diavolo commanded and went off to talk to the host, an older woman whom he seemed to already know. The four obeyed and walked into the party. Richard just stood at the archway to the living room. He didn’t know what to do. He was too afraid to move.

Not too long after they arrived, two tall, buff, Greek men drunkenly strolled over towards Richard.  

“Look at ‘im!” The one said to his friend. He gave Richard a playful punch, “He’s adorable.” Richard was rigid. He backed up against the wall.

“Aww. You scared?” The men closed in on him. Richard’s eyes scoured the room for Gabriella, but she wasn’t in the room anymore. He saw Marie follow a man into another room. The Greek men grabbed his attention again by one man caressing his shoulder and another running his hand through his hair.

“I’d love to get him bent over.”

“Nah man, he’s mine first. You can go later. I promise.” He tightly grabbed Richard by the wrist and pulled him into a nearby bedroom.

It was a _very_ long, excruciating night.

* * *

Once the party was over they were collected and lead back to the white van. Once back at the farm they were shoved back into the underground cell. Richard curled back into the same corner as before and curled up as tight as he could putting his head between his legs and tightly curling his arms around himself. Except this time he didn’t have his hoodie as a security blanket.

Marie, Summer, and Luis gave sympathetic looks from across the small cell. At a loss for what to do. Gabriella scooted over so she was sitting next to him. She gently rubbed his back. Without looking up he muttered, “I’m not going to make it.” She tilted her head in confusion. He looked up at her. She saw that he looked dead in the eyes. More so than when he was broken in by Diavolo’s men. “I can’t do this...I’m not strong enough.” Gabriella’s face fell, “How...how have...you...hung on...for so long?”

She seemed caught off guard by that question. Learning how to mentally survive a situation was different for everyone. Because people handle things differently. Similar to how everyone grieves in their own way. She took a second to compose her thoughts before she answered, “I quickly made a decision...that I wasn’t going to die here. That I would survive. Get back to my family one day. As long as your heart is still beating and your lungs are still breathing. You’re surviving. Find a goal to focus on. A clear achievable goal that gets you through the day. Remember who you have to fight for...You mentioned your friend Jared before.”

“Y-yes.”

“Fight for him. Fight to get back to him. Don’t give up. Because he wouldn’t want you to. He’d want you to hold on.”

“You’ve been fighting for two years. Don’t you lose hope after a while? That perhaps no one’s coming and there’s no hope of escape?”

She paused and slightly bit her lip. She took a deep breath, “You see, you can’t go down that path. Or else you’ll fall into a pit of despair and you’ll _never_ come out...Humans are amazing at surviving. It’s this innate part of us...to never give up. But you have to _work_ for it.”

Richard gazed downwards, “Earlier he threatened to kill the person I care about most if I did anything.” Gabriella was _well aware_ of that move, “My first thought was of Jared. Do anything to me...just...don’t hurt him. Don't hurt him.” His voice cracked and tears poured down this face, “That fear...terror...was unlike anything I have ever felt before. It was overwhelming.”

“Do you love him?”

Richard looked up at her in thought. He took a few moments to think, “....I realized in that moment...Hurting him, is worse than anything they could do to me. Oh God...I love him....I really love him.”

“Then live. So you can tell him.”  
“But I’m not strong enough to survive.” She gave him a shove on the shoulder. He looked at her really caught off guard, “What was that for?”

She turned very serious, “A cognitive behavioral therapy tool.”

He was confused, “What?”

She simplified it for him, “A way for people to recognize and change negative thoughts. In my practice I used a Nerf gun but a shove works just as well. Everytime you say a negative thought, a shove will make you acknowledge and rethink what you said. That perhaps you were wrong. Negative thoughts only hurt you.”

“So you’re going to shove me everything I say something negative?”

“Yes.” Gabriella didn’t miss a beat, “Aren’t you glad you’re stuck with a shrink?” She gave him a shit eating grin which somehow made him give a small smile for the first time in what felt like forever. She got serious again. “You’re going to survive. You’ll see Jared again.” He nodded, “Say it.” He looked at her confused. “Say it.”

“I’ll survive and see Jared again.”

“And you’ll tell him that you love him.” When he was quiet she motioned for him to repeat her.

“And I’ll tell him that I love him.”

She shook her head, “I don’t believe it. Say it like you mean it.”

Richard looked at her like this was an exercise in futility, until he saw the no bullshit look on her face. So he said it again, more powerful and determined, “I’ll survive and see Jared again. I’ll tell him that I love him.”

She smiled, “Good. You have a goal. Now works towards it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was emotionally draining to write. So it just really needed to end on a higher note. I got the Nerf gun idea from this [tumblr post](https://onequartercanadian.tumblr.com/post/171705991010/anarchetypal-i-saw-this-post-earlier-about) about psychiatrists and found it amusing and totally something I think she would do.


	10. Taking a Hit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared gets a new idea. Richard's life is put under a new threat.

Diavolo sat in his office. It was the largest room in the underground complex. Like the rest of the complex it was constructed of light brown stone. The room was illuminated with old fashioned three candle metal candelabras throughout the room including some in a chandelier in the middle of the space. Diavolo sat in a large lavish chair, that looked more like a throne. It was dark brown firm wood with ornate patterns delicately carved into it.

He was slouched in the chair as he did a crossword puzzle when someone got his attention. “Boss.”

Diavolo peered up from the puzzle book, “What?”

A tall muscular man with a shaved head named Timmer came forward, “I have the revenue from last night.”

Diavolo’s eyebrows lifted, “ _Oh._ How’d we do?” Timmer gave him the papers.

“We did fairly well for a weeknight.”

Diavolo looked at the paper. It was meticulously organized by each person they had working for them, how much they made, and the date. He looked up, “The new guy didn’t make nearly as much as the rest of them.”

“Y-yeah. I noticed.”

“Why didn’t he?” Diavolo demanded, giving soul crushing eye contact.

“Well, you’ve seen him. He’s not our usual physicality. Also, he’s new. With some time I think he can be very profitable.”

Diavolo pounded his fist on the arm of the chair, “That’s why we break them in! So we don’t have this problem!” Timmer slightly flinched and took a step back. “We’re not here to give second chances.” He threw the papers back at Timmer, “Dispose of him. Do whatever you want. I don’t care. Tell Craig to get another one.”

Timmer was going to leave but instead turned back around to face Diavolo, “Speaking of Craig. He’s been getting a lot of attention recently. Are you concerned that they might identify and find him and thus find you.”

A smile crawled across Diavolo’s face and he laughed, “That’s a good one.” Timmer smiled and laughed along with Diavolo, more out of fear and trying to agree with him. Everyone always found it terrifying when Diavolo smiled.  “Craig would _never_ flip on me. He’ll sooner confess to killing all those people before flipping on me. I have him wrapped around my finger...He knows that if he _ever_ crosses me in _any_ way. He’s dead. Just like that.” He snapped his fingers to further prove his point. Timmer’s eyes widened.

He smiled again, “So no, Timmer. I’m not worried.” After a brief silence he said, “Now go. Get rid of the dead weight.”

* * *

Gavin was sitting in his office when Hoover came in. “Any progress on our side rescue mission?”

Hoover slightly sighed, “No, not yet.”

“Then why are you here?” Gavin raised his eyebrows, “To tell me that there’s no news.”

Hoover slightly shrugged, “Well...yeah. Also, this just seems like a dead end. Whoever did this, impeccably cover their tracks.” Gavin rolled his eyes and sighed. “Why are you doing this, Gavin? Why don’t you just wait till Pied Piper crashes and burns. Then all your competition will be gone. Richard was the brains behind it. It’ll be a damn miracle if they ever get another round of financing to get off the ground.”

Gavin got up from his chair and walked over towards Hoover, “You still don’t see the big picture, do you, Hoover?” Hoover shook his head, “If I bring back Richard dead or alive, as well as the guy who took him. They will be forever indebted to me. I’ll get Pied Piper for free or next to it. As a gift. _I_ will be the father of the new internet. As well as the press praising me as a hero and Uber being forever indebted to me.” Gavin turned back to his desk to sit down, “So don’t come back until you’ve got something for me to use!” His phone rang, he saw it was Jared again. He groaned, “Damn I don’t have anything for you! You lovestruck idiot!” He slammed his phone down on the desk without even bothering to answer it.

“Excuse me?” Hoover turned around

He sighed, “Only a lovestruck idiot makes the deal he did and won’t stop calling for updates. Seriously, this is probably the tenth time he’s called today alone and it’s barely noon. I need to change my number.”

“We could have that arranged.”

Gavin sat back and waved it off, “No, because he’d probably just show up here.” Hoover nodded and turned to leave.

* * *

Dinesh was sitting in Richard’s office with his head in his hands when Gilfoyle came in. It was late in the evening and they were the only ones still in the dimly lit office.

“I feel like shit.” Dinesh didn’t even look up at Gilfoyle.

Gilfolye was there for another reason but humored the guy, “Oh, why now?”

He looked up and folded his hands under his chin, “Richard’s only been gone a few days and I already took his job.”

Gilfoyle felt this might take a while. He considered leaving because he felt like Dinesh was going to get emotional. He started to turn away but Dinesh kept talking. “I’m so damn _terrified_ of fucking up again.”

“You should be.”

“How am I supposed to keep this company afloat?”

Gilfoyle sighed and sat down at the other end of the desk, “Just like Richard did...just barely with a lot of mistakes and near catastrophic disasters.”

Dinesh wiped his face with his hands, “It doesn’t help that Jared’s not really around anymore so I have to be the COO as well as the CEO. He’s off helping the Feds find Richard.” That was partly true, he helped the Feds in anyway they’d let him as well as working with Gavin behind everyone’s backs.

Dinesh continued, “I looked at our accounts today...we’re going to need more funding...and soon.”

That really caught Gilfoyle’s attention, “What?”

“I already talked to Laurie about a Series B and she’s hesitant because she doesn’t know if Pied Piper’s going to survive losing Richard.”

“Well if we won’t if we don’t have any fucking money.”

“Yeah, that’s what I told her.”

“Well if you want an alternative to Laurie Bream, you could do an ICO. I have a presentation I was meaning to show Richard but I guess I’ll show it to you at some point soon.”

Dinesh put his head in his hands again with his elbows propped on the desk. After a short silence Gilfoyle got up to leave again when Dinesh looked up again, “Do you think they’ll find Richard?” There was a sense of true sorrow in his eyes and on his face, “I mean...it’s been days...Do you think he’s still alive?”

Gilfoyle stopped and sighed. His shoulders and face fell as he turned back to Dinesh, “No...I don’t think he’s still alive. The guy more than likely had him killed by now.” Dinesh’s face sank. “The chances of us finding his body now are slim. It gets less and less likely every damn day. If by some miracle, he’s somehow still alive, who knows what they’re doing to him. If he is found alive, which is a real stretch, he won’t be the Richard we know anymore.” Dinesh looked for clarification, “Like I said, who knows what they could be doing to him. If he does come back alive, he won’t be mentally fit to get back to work for a while. If at all.” He knew Richard. He knew that he could be too traumatized to continue working, “So whether he’s dead or alive. You’re position is most likely permanent.”

* * *

Dinesh was surprised to see Jared come into the office one morning. He had barely come in since Richard’s disappearance. He charged into Richard’s office, “Good you’re here. Where’s Gilfoyle?” Dinesh noticed that Jared still looked like he hadn’t slept in days. He wondered if Jared was taking care of himself. He bet Jared wasn’t.

“He’s not in yet. Why? Is there news about Richard? Also, are you okay?”

Jared shook his head, “There’s no news, but I have a job for you two so get his ass in here _right now!_ ”

Once Gilfoyle arrived they got started, “So you have a job for us?”

“I want you to search the Uber app to see if there is any trace of the account connected to Richard’s last ride and if there is anything there that could point to who the Uber Kidnapper is.”

Dinesh took a deep breath, “Isn’t this already being done by the FBI?”

Jared nodded, “Yes, it is. But I want you guys to do it too. I know you guys can do it.” He turned towards Gilfoyle, “You hacked Seppan smart fridges out of petty vengeance. I know you guys can hack Uber. Find something that the Feds missed or overlooked. You’re the only ones I trust will get the job done right. I know that it will take time but-”

Gilfoyle put his hand up to stop him, “You didn’t have to continue. All you had to do was suggest it. It’s for Richard so _of course_ we’re in. I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t have confidence in the establishment to find Richard and feel the need to check their work. Except I have to be the lead on this, because I don’t trust Dinesh’s coding on something _this_ important.” He pointed towards Dinesh who gave him bitchface.  

“Really, _now_ you’re shitting on me _?”_

Jared let out a sigh of relief, “Thank you.”

“No need to thank us.” Gilfoyle shook his head, “Also, there is no guarantee that we’ll find anything.”  

* * *

Richard awoke from a light restless slumber with a startle. The ever presence of the one light bulb in the cell shined in his eyes making him squint until he woke up more. He sat up straighter against the wall in the corner he normally occupied. “How long was I out?”

Gabriella shrugged, “Probably a couple hours. You needed it though.”

Richard shuttered and pulled his feet towards his chest when he remembered the previous night. “Y-yeah. Right.” He muttered.

Gabriella gave him a sympathetic look and put her hand on his shoulder. She reminded him, “You’re heart is still beating and your lungs are still breathing. You’re surviving.”

They flinched when they heard the door unlock and one of Diavolo’s men, Timmer, opened the door. He stared Richard straight in the eyes. “You.” He sauntered over, eventually standing over Richard, looking down at him, “You disappointed us last night.” He pulled at his belt which, due to recent experiences, made Richard _exponentially_ more panicked. “You should learn what happens when you disappoint us.” He pulled off his belt but did not touch his pants zipper. He ran the belt through his hands, “You should know, we don’t give second chances.”

He swung the belt behind him with both hands and started to repeatedly beat Richard with his heavy metal belt buckle.

He screamed in agonizing pain and tried to get away but couldn’t. There was nowhere to go. He was blocked in. Richard instinctively turned away from Timmer and tucked his head down low so Timmer ended up beating his back. The others sat completely helpless as they witnessed the brutal beating and even if they closed their eyes they heard the buckle whoosh through the air and Richard’s heart wrenching cries.

Gabriella noticed that Timmer wasn’t letting up. They all have got beaten before, but the pimps normally stopped after a couple of good shots. They said that a lot of marks were bad for business. Gabriella’s jaw dropped as it hit her.

That means that Timmer was sent to kill Richard.

She couldn’t see _another_ person die here.

Even though Timmer blocked her access she started screaming at him to stop. She screamed enough to distract him. He stopped and turned around at her screams which gave her an opportunity to run in front a now unobstructed Richard. Timmer turned back and saw her hovering over his bloody and bruised body.

“What the fuck are you doing, you filthy whore?!” He yelled, ready to strike her as well.

Richard was trying to comprehend what the hell just happened. Gabriella scrambled for something to say. “You can’t kill him!”  
Timmer scoffed and lowered the belt. “And why is that?”

Gabriella wasn’t stupid enough to go after the human angle of just...not brutally murdering people. These were traffickers, they didn’t exactly have _any_ empathy or _any_ sort of moral compass. She had a different plan.

“You’ve got to give him more time.” Timmer raised his eyebrows, “Perhaps parties aren’t where someone like him would be the most profitable to you. Maybe organized one on ones would make you more money. You should try various different scenarios before you deem someone as unimportant to you. Find where they fit best. You know?”

Gabriella was throwing shit at the wall and praying that _something_ stuck. A life depended on it. She was also putting her life on the line by defending Richard. Timmer stood in thought. He would have to explain this to Diavolo, but since Craig was getting so much attention as the Uber Kidnapper. Diavolo might want to lay low and settle for what he had at the moment. He also admired Gabriella’s courage for sticking up for Richard. They could have Gabriella work it off. He also knew that they could use that dedication later to their advantage.

His posture softened and he folded up the belt. He said to Richard, “You’ve made friends. Good for you. Although it’s a _terrible_ idea to have weaknesses here.” He gave Gabriella a knowing evil smile. She knew the repercussions to her actions. What she would have to do in repayment.

He gave Gabriella a knowing, “I’ll see you later.” He walked away, slamming and locking the heavy metal door behind him.

The other three were huddled at the other end of the cell in complete shock of what Gabriella had just done. She still hadn’t moved from her protective stance leaning over him. Richard was in shock. His mind and heart going a thousand miles an hour trying to comprehend what just happened.

“You..you...you just...saved my life.” Gabriella moved from her protective stance to look at him, “W-why? Wh-why did you...do that?”

“I thought we established. We’re not going to die here. _You’re_ not going to die here. I won’t have it...not another one.”

That caught Richard’s curiosity, “What? Another one? What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.” She brushed it off and sat against the wall nearby. Richard wanted to pry, but could tell by the distraught look on her face that she did _not_ want to talk about it and he didn’t have the energy to fight her on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are loved and very appreciated!!! I love to talk about my writing so I will always respond!


	11. Different Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriella makes a bold move to help Richard. Richard finds out more about the other captives. Dinesh and Gilfoyle hack Uber upon Jared's request.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted the playlist for this fic on tumblr so of course I'd put a [link here! Check it out!](https://open.spotify.com/user/onequartercanadian/playlist/6mrF9PNBum5cRRcP0LMMwe?si=6lrqgDymTGGEaTt2IcRVFg%20rel=)

Gabriella watched Richard’s chest slightly rise and fall as he lightly and restlessly got some desperately needed sleep. Since the nights were spent working that didn’t leave much time for sleep. She noticed that there was a wetness that stained his thin grey t-shirt around where the burned in brand was.

“Shit.” She muttered and cautiously felt around the area, careful not to wake Richard.

“What?” Luis was the only other one awake. He was sitting in his usual spot across the cell next to the door.

“It seems like a blister burst. His wound could be infected.”

“Well that’s not exactly a shock.” He gestured to their surroundings. Gabriella rolled her eyes and tried to figure out the best way to inspect the brand without waking him.

“Just wake him. Jesus Christ.” Luis leaned his head against the wall and threw his hands in the air in a dramatic fashion.

“No, this is the most he’s slept in days. He needs this.” Ever since the attempt on Richard's life a few days earlier he couldn’t get himself to fall asleep. The long nights working seedy hotels and large house parties weren’t helping. After a few days he eventually crashed out of pure exhaustion.

“Well then wait till he wakes up.” Gabriella sat back defeated. “I bet you won’t make it five minutes.”

She was confused, “What?”

“You have a perpetual need to help people. He’s only survived this long because you’ve taken him under your wing. Because that’s what you do.”

She raised her eyebrows and got defensive, “What? I’m just helping every so often. He’s new. He needs to learn how to survive.”

“Huh, okay. What about Jessica or Aubrey?” He folded his arms and had a satisfied smile.

She stopped and looked down, picking at an old scab, “They...they were different.”

“You did the exact same things to them. Taking them under your wing and protecting them whenever possible...until a time came when you couldn’t anymore. A time will come when you can’t protect Richard anymore.”

Luis was right.

“Would you stop!” It was phrased as a question but with the intensity of her voice there was no doubt it was a command. Their bickering caused the others to stir and wake up which no doubt irritated Gabriella even further. If looks could kill Luis would have been slaughtered.

Richard blinked into consciousness.

“I noticed that there’s puss or something coming from your wound. It could be infected.” She motioned for permission to take a look. He sighed and yanked down his t-shirt collar so she could see. One look was all it took for her to realize it was infected. The puzzle piece shaped brand was inflamed and swollen. Yellow puss seeped from the burn’s blisters. She gently placed her finger on it and it felt hot to the touch and caused Richard to hiss in pain.

Gabriella quickly removed her finger and let out a defeated sigh, “Yeah, it’s infected.” She felt his forehead with the back of her hand, “You feel really warm.”

Richard’s panic grew, “What does that mean?”

“It means that you’re going to need antibiotics.” Her shoulders and face fell in defeat.

“H-ho-how are we going to get that?”

Gabriella knew that she had to ask for a first aid kit.

Or else Richard was going to die.

* * *

 

Timmer came in to give them some food. They were fed whatever happened to be around the complex at random intervals. Diavolo didn’t really care as long as they could still work and make him money. Timmer tossed a loaf of sliced bread at them with a dry and apathetic, “Bon appetit.” He turned to leave when Gabriella spoke up.

“We need a first aid kid.” He turned towards her interested yet angry, “Please.”

He thought for a second, to let her explain, “With lots of disinfectant and antibiotics.” He heard the desperation in her voice, “We can’t work if we’re hurt. Diavolo knows that.”

Timmer thought for a few agonizing moments. The last thing they wanted to deal with was someone getting sick and being out of commission until either they were better or a new person could be taken and broken in. He huffed, “Fine. Come with me.” He motioned for Gabriella to come with him. She took a deep breath and followed him. Richard’s panic heightened and mouthed a _No!_ but it never quite reached his lips.

He was fearful that she’d never come back.

 

They sat in relative silence for a while. Richard was wondering something, but didn’t quite know how to ask it. “So um...um...I was wondering…” Everyone looked at him, wondering what he wanted to say. “Um...I don’t know how to ask this…” Luis raised his eyebrows, “Where you guys...taken by Craig too?”

Marie looked down and tried to distract herself by wringing her hands. Summer gave him a sympathetic look while Luis huffed. “No, we...we weren’t.” Summer shook her head. “I was in the foster care system most of my life. There were some nice families...but most were bad. Abusive.” Richard winced, it reminded him of Jared. “When I was 13 I had enough of my foster parents abusing me. I couldn’t do it anymore. So I ran away. If I stayed I would have been killed long ago. Hell, most of my scars are from them. Around San Francisco I met a guy. He was probably around my age now.” She was about 17, “We hit it off. At least I _thought_ we did. I was 13, I thought we were a match made in heaven.” There was a sarcastic tone to Summer’s voice which soon turned serious. “It didn’t take us long to have sex. Then he starting doing favors for me, in order to pay them off I had to sleep with his friends. Then the money was so good the favors disappeared and he started with threats. He didn’t mind following through on them either. Soon enough he sold me to Diavolo.”

Richard’s jaw dropped in shock. He could barely speak. “I-I-I’m so sorry.”

Summer shrugged, “That’s just how my life goes. It sucks. Diavolo’s less violent than my last pimp, oddly enough.”

“It just..really...reminds me of Jared. He was a foster kid. He’s made a lot of references about...abuse.” He never really asked Jared to elaborate, partly because he didn’t know how or if it was his place. Also, because he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the horrifying details that were implied by some of the things Jared had said before.

“Yeah…foster care fucking sucks.” She picked at her long nails as a distraction.

“That not always how it goes.” Marie’s small voice poked up. She didn’t speak much so this really got everyone’s attention. She didn’t know much English and still had a thick Chinese accent. She also had never actually told her story to anyone before. “My parents die in a fire in our small home outside Beijing. I was at school. After I had nothing. So I thought,  I will move to America. I answered an ad for a nanny job in Beverly Hills. A nice couple picked me up from the airport. They had a really nice car. I got to their home they beat me and locked me in a small closet.”

Richard let out a small, “Oh god.”

“They only let me out to beat me and make me do house chores. They don’t even have any kids. Soon they sold me to Diavolo.”

Summer looked at Luis across the cell. “Well since it’s apparently story time, Luis, do you want to share?”

“Not particularly.” Luis was picking at a slice of bread from the bagged loaf.

“Yeah, didn’t think so.” Summer turned back to Richard, “He was coming over the border with a smuggler and he sold him out as soon as he could.”

He looked up offended, “Wow, you shortened that.”

“Well then tell the long version.”

“Gabriella would say it’s therapeutic.” Richard genuinely didn’t know if Marie was making fun of Gabriella or not. With her tone it could go either way. It was either part sarcasm and part sincerity. He thought that her intent was probably a mix of both.

After Summer prodded him some more Luis rolled his eyes, “ _Fine._ Since we’re swapping sob stories.” He rubbed circles around his temple with his pointer and middle fingers, “It was shortly after my father died, a couple years back. I was going to get a job here and send money back to my madre and hermanas so that they could eventually join me. I paid a coyotaje, a smuggler, to get me across the border...I knew that you had to be _very_ careful about who you chose. Because there are a lot are terrible people. I heard a lot of good things about this guy, Ramon. That he could get you across the border safely and you wouldn’t have to give him your life savings. As soon as I got across the border, he took me hostage and eventually sold me to some of Diavolo’s men.” He gave Summer an irritated look and threw his hands up, “There, you happy?”

Richard was in shock, but another question came to his mind, “If Craig took nine others...then where are they?”

Luis looked at him with a scoff, “You think we’re the only ones he has? He has little blocks operating throughout the entire west coast. Craig drops off people where Diavolo tells him to.”

“How do you know this?”

“I’ve worked for Diavolo’s men every so often. They’ve talked about it while I was there. Like they forgot I was there or it didn’t even matter to them.” Richard hadn’t been there long, but he knew what Luis meant by “worked”. “So yeah, anyone Craig took who’s still alive is scattered across the west coast.” That didn’t make Richard feel any better.

They were distracted when the door opened and Gabriella came through with Timmer behind her. She was carrying a medium sized first aid kit and a couple bottles of water. Richard noticed that the thick strap of her short black dress was now ripped.

He wished he was naive enough to not know how that happened. What she was forced to do for the supplies.

Timmer quickly shut the door without a word and Gabriella sat down next to Richard.

She opened the kit and spread it on the stone floor, “I’m going to need to better access to your wounds. I’m sorry but you’re going to need to take off your shirt.”

Richard’s face tightened in confusion, “Did you do this for me? Why?”

She opened some pads pre-soaked in disinfectant, “Because if this infection continues you’re going to die and it will be _very_ slow and _very_ painful. You’ll never see Jared again. That’s your goal, right?” He nodded, “We need to keep your other wounds clean too so they don’t get infected. Now, I need you to take your shirt off.” She was all business.

He did as she requested and pulled his shirt over his head and set it on his lap.

“Did...did you do that just for me?” As far as he knew, he was the only one in need of bandages.

“We could use them for other things. It's always good to have. Luis has a gash on his back that could use a new bandage.”

Richard was in shock by the gesture but his mind was taken off it when he felt an intense stinging sensation on his burn. He yelped in pain which turned to hisses and whimpers as he tried not to move so she could clean it.

“Sorry. I need to get all the germs out before I bandage it.” She continued to clean out his burn before moving on to the healing lacerations on his back from the near death beating. Those wounds were healing better. They were starting to scab over. Gabriella knew they would probably leave scars. She delicately cleaned them with disinfectant which made Richard wince and hiss in pain. There weren’t enough bandages to cover all the streaks on his back but she covered the worst parts.

After she was finished he put his shirt back on and sat back. She handed him a two tablets from the kit, “Here, one for the pain and one antibiotic. We have to ration out the rest.” She handed him a bottle of water.

He took the pills and water from her hand, “Thank you.” His voice was low, “For everything. I can never repay you...for your help….your kindness...You saved my life...I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.”

She gave him a smile and put her hand on his shoulder, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just focus on surviving. Now come on, take your pills.”

* * *

 

After a few day code sprint Dinesh and Gilfoyle finished their scour of Uber’s network in the middle of the night.

Dinesh sighed and covered his face in his hands, “What are we going to tell Jared?”

Gilfoyle took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t have a fucking clue.” He put his glasses back on and went into his desk drawer to grab a bottle of whiskey.

“Oh great. I could use some.” Dinesh offered his empty mug. Gilfoyle held the liquor back and looked at him like he was crazy.

“Get your own stash.”

They called Jared to tell him they were done and he rushed over. “What did you find?” Jared saw their sunken looks. Like when you know a doctor is about to tell you that your loved one didn’t make it. His body fell. “You...you didn’t find anything. Did you?”

“No.” Gilfoyle refilled his glass. “It was worth a shot. But those fucknuts didn’t actually miss anything. We tried _everything_ . And I mean _everything._ There’s _no_ trace of a hack. Whoever did this must completely remove their code immediately after each abduction. Although Uber’s security is piss poor. They should be ashamed.”

Dinesh got up and put his hand on Jared’s shoulder in solidarity, “I’m so sorry, Jared.”

Jared looked down then back at them, “No, I know you did everything you could. You two would _never_ admit defeat unless it was the only option left.”

Jared felt like he was going to break down crying again. This was a real blow to his morale. The Feds and Gavin had yet to find anything. He knew if there was anything in Uber’s network then Dinesh and Gilfoyle would have found it. He backed away, “Excuse me. I’m sorry.” He rushed out and only made it to the stairs before he started wailing again which could still be heard in the empty office.

Dinesh gave Gilfoyle a confused look and pointed towards the stairs, “Should...should we go get him?”

“You know I don’t do emotional breakdowns so I don’t think I would be of any help, but you can attempt it.”

Dinesh hesitantly walked over to the stairs and slowly opened the door. He saw Jared sitting on the step. His cries bouncing off the white painted cement walls. Dinesh sat down next to him and at a complete loss of what to say, just put his hand on his shoulder. Jared looked at him through his tears and started crying into Dinesh’s shoulder. He patted Jared’s back in an attempt to comfort him. Dinesh looked up when he heard the door open again and saw Gilfoyle come in and wordlessly sit next to them.

They were starting to lose hope of ever finding Richard.


	12. Nowhere to Run from This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard finds out what happened to past captives. Threats against him escalate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from Meet Me on the Battlefield; Svrcina  
> I made a Jarrich edit for this fic! [Check it out!](https://onequartercanadian.tumblr.com/post/175975631660/lyrics-haunted-kelly-clarkson-the-weight-of-us)

Richard was surprised that he had somehow managed to stay alive for so long. It was partly complying with Diavolo and his men, and partly with the help of Gabriella and the others in the cell. They all helped each other when they could. Although he was starting to forget why he trying to survive in the first place, what the purpose of surviving was. He remembered his goal of seeing Jared again and telling him that he loved him...but with each passing day the goal seemed less and less attainable. He secretly thought that the police were never going to find him. It was in a part of his mind that he constantly tried to ignore. He was terrified at the very real possibility that the cops weren’t coming and he was on his own to escape. As much as he tried to ignore it, he couldn’t get that out of his head.

 

Richard was sitting in his corner, deep in thought, while the others sat around in relative silence.

“I mean there’s five of us and only one or two of them at a time. It’s possible.” He muttered in thought. The others looked at him wondering what the hell he was talking about.

Summer was the first to ask, “What are you muttering about?”

Richard looked up and realized he said that out loud. “Oh...um, nothing. It’s nothing.”

“It didn’t sound like nothing. What’s going on?”

Richard just spat it out, “Since there’s only one or two at a time and there’s five of us. I figure that it could be possible to take them on. To escape. The corridor is not that long. We could get out before anyone else catches us.”

Everyone’s faces dropped and Luis exclaimed what they were all thinking, “Oh Dios mío, it’s like you _want_ to die!” He went on to mutter in his native Spanish about how crazy Richard was.

Summer scoffed, “You don’t think people have tried shit like that?” There was a sharp condescension to her voice. “You’re _not_ the first person to think they can outsmart Diavolo. It _never_ ends well.”

Richard got worried and curious. He knew he shouldn’t ask, but he did, “Why? What happened?”

Gabriella tried to put a stop this, putting her hands between the two, “I think this is enough.”  
Richard pushed her hand away. He needed to know, “No. What happened?” He looked at Gabriella, whom he knew was in this particular cell the longest.

She knew there wasn’t a way out of this. She took a deep breath, “There have been others here in the past who...they mouthed off or...tried to escape. Diavolo had them killed.” Richard’s panic rose, Gabriella continued, “There was a girl, Jessica. She had a...really tough shell. High spirited. No matter what they did, she didn’t break. She constantly disobeyed and fought with guys like Timmer. No matter how much I tried to protect her and help her. It didn’t…” She fought back tears, “It didn’t help. One day, Diavolo decided that she wasn’t worth the effort to break her. So he had Timmer shoot her.” Richard gasped, “She died in my arms. She was just fifteen years old. Fifteen.” Richard went into a state of shock, “This girl, Aubrey, apparently was a competitive sprinter. She thought that she could get past Timmer and sprint to the cellar door. A similar idea to yours. She got probably a couple steps out the door before Timmer caught her…” While she paused Richard anxiously waited with baited breath, “...He beat her to death...I tried to save her...but I couldn’t get to her. I couldn’t get him to stop beating and kicking her. When he finally stopped, she was just barely alive. So he shot her a few times.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes, “So yeah, escape isn’t the best idea.”

“If you can, there’s the spoons.” Marie whispered

“What?”

Gabriella explained, “It’s a practice used in things like forced marriages, human trafficking, and other abduction situations. If you are being brought on a plane against your will, put a metal spoon in your underwear. The metal detectors will find it and TSA will take you to safety and ask if you’re okay. Then you can disclose to them in what could be your only chance. I heard that it works.”

“So if someone ever decides to put you on the most regulated and public form of transport, you have an out. Great. Also you probably found this on the internet, therefore the bad guys probably know about it by now. Double great.” They could taste the sarcasm in Luis’s voice.  


Richard was listening but couldn’t stop thinking about what Gabriella had just told him about the previous girls. He knew how terrible Diavolo and his men were, but it still shocked him to hear what they did to those who tried to escape. This overwhelming wave of hopelessness crashed upon him, swallowing him whole. He sat back against the wall and his whole body sank. He muttered, “Oh god...I’m never going to get out of here….I’m going to die here.”

That got Gabriella’s attention and brought her out of her trance of horrific memories. She gave him a shove, just as she promised before when he had negative thoughts. It grabbed his attention. “No, you’re not. You’re not going to die here. You’re not going to give up. Because I won’t let it happen.”

He looked her just thinking, ‘ _Why?’_

Gabriella read the expression on his face, “You know how I told you about goals that get you through the day.” He nodded, “Well mine is to ensure that whoever is here survives and help those who need it most...It keeps me sane. Gives me purpose. Makes me feel _human_. I don’t always succeed, but I will try my damndest.”

* * *

They were taken to another hotel where they had pre-arranged appointments with various Johns who paid Diavolo top dollar for his workers. His men stayed in the room as a chaperone. Some of the Johns weren’t too happy about being watched like that but it was non-negotiable for Diavolo. He didn’t trust his captive workers _at all._ It didn’t matter if he had them for three weeks or three years. They were _never_ alone. This only worked because Diavolo had the vast network in place for it to work.

They were in a mid-range hotel in suburbia. Richard was escorted to a room by one of Diavolo’s pimps, Timmer, who was always armed and was eager to remind you.

Before they entered the room Timmer shoved Richard into the wall and used his large muscular forearm to pin Richard's chest to the wall. The move was so effortless it was like Richard weighed nothing.

“You better fucking perform you little cocksucker!” He pulled out his phone and showed him a picture. Richard’s panicked jaw dropped when he saw a picture of Jared getting into his car. The timestamp at the top of the iPhone photo was dated for a recent afternoon, “Jared Dunn. You seem pretty close. Intimately close. It would a real shame if he was brutually murdered because you weren’t useful or obedient to us.”  The first night he was taken out, Diavolo found out that Richard had weaknesses, especially that he was in love. He had his men find out who they were and get some pictures to threaten Richard with to coerce him into complying with their demands. “Maybe a drive by, maybe a robbery gone wrong, maybe an old fashioned beatdown and finished off with a shot to the stomach and left to bleed out. We could get _very_ creative.” A malicious smile crawled across his face.

He swiped to the next picture of Dinesh and Gilfoyle recently walking out of the Pied Piper offices, “Bertram Gilfoyle and Dinesh Chugtai. Your friends and colleagues. Maybe something simple. A couple gunshots to the head. Maybe a classic beatdown, a home invasion. We’d think of something.” He swiped to a recent picture of Monica jogging her yellow Labrador, “Now her, Monica Hall. She’s a hot piece of ass. We’d keep her for ourselves. We could make _a lot_ of money off of her.” Another sadistic smile came across his face, “We’d kill them, then your little buddies in the cell, then we’d kill you. We’d make it _extra_ painful for everyone involved. Shits like you are completely replaceable. We like to trim the fat.”

Richard was violently shaking, his voice cracked as he begged, “P-pl-please please d-don-don’t. Please don’t hurt them. Please. Pl-p-please don’t hurt them.” He couldn’t stop begging until he was interrupted.

“Well then do what you’re supposed to and we won’t have a problem.” Timmer knew weaponizing Richard’s love for his friends would work.

It always worked.

This fear of putting his friend’s lives in jeopardy would be drilled into Richard’s very core. Every. Single. Day.

Timmer released his hold and knocked on the door, instead with a tight grasp on Richard’s shoulder. Two men answered the door. Richard noticed they were probably middle aged and dressed well. One had a long faint scar on his cheek.

They seemed to know the pimp, “Hey, Timmer.” They went in for a fist bump. “This the guy?”

“Yeah.”

The men looked him over, gauging their approval. One nodded, “I like him. He’s cute. Not like some of those whores you have.”

“I like him too.”

“He’s pretty new too. A lot more submissive than the others.”

Their eyes lit with sadistic pleasure. “If we knew earlier we would be more prepared. Brought some accessories.”

“How much for the night?”

“Four.”

“Hundred?”

“Thousand.” Timmer folded his arms.

“What? Seriously? Four thousand? I swear you’ve raised your rates since last time.”

“No, but we’re a volume operation. If you’re going to keep one of our guys for an entire night then we need to ensure a return.” Timmer stared them down, “If you can’t afford that then I will find someone who can.”

“No, that’s fine.” He raised his hands defensively.

The other reminded, “Oh, we do have a few more coming.”

“How many? Because then we go into party pricing.” Timmer raised his eyebrows with his arms still crossed

“Just a few friends. Two or three more. A small get together.” Richard could tell the men were clearly terrified of Timmer and with good reason. He could easily fuck you up and would enjoy doing it. Timmer nodded and motioned for them to proceed with their evening.

The man with the scar sat on the bed. He looked at Richard and patted the bed, “You look scared. Come. Sit.” So he did. The man went into his duffel bag on the floor near his feet and pulled out a zippered case. “This should calm you down. Make tonight more fun.” Richard got exponentially more alarmed when the guy pulled a full syringe and a strip of rubber out of the case before putting it away.

“Wh-what?” Richard muttered

“Come on, don’t be a pussy.” He grabbed Richard’s arm and tied the rubber strip around Richard’s upper arm and kept a firm grasp on his wrist. “Sit still.” He made sure there were no air bubbles then shot the syringe into Richard’s exposed vein in his inner elbow before Richard could even ask what the drug was or how much there was.

As the man with the scar took off the rubber strip around Richard’s upper arm, the other man came over steel eyed, “Take your shirt off.” Richard’s breath hitched but he did as told. The man folded his arms and nodded. “Alright.”

“We going to use him before the others get here?”

He shrugged, “Not our fault they’re late. Plus, we’re paying for this time anyway. They should be here shortly.”

Richard started to feel the effects of the drug, which turned out to be an assload of ketamine. He started to feel lighter, hazy, woozy. His vision wasn’t too blurry but his depth perception was very skewed. Like he was seeing everything through a camera lens. Within minutes he felt like he wasn’t really there. So distant from everyone and everything. He lost track of where his body began and ended. He felt like he was playing a game in third person with himself as the avatar. There were times where he felt out of his body, just watching overhead. His brain and body felt completely separate, dissociated.

This was a pleasant feeling compared to the terrifying reality. It wouldn't be the first night there he'd spend high or drunk as fuck. Although it did make it slightly more bearable when you mentally weren't really there.

 

Richard started to come down from the drug high  as they approached the compound and lead back to the cellar. He felt lightheaded but not in the way he felt earlier, the sick kind of way. The rising sun hurt his sensitive eyes and made he constantly squint. He had vague, disconnected, foggy memories of the previous night which his mind fought to repress. He kept repeating in his mind, ‘ _You’re okay you’re okay you’re okay you’re okay. You’ll see Jared again. You’ll see Jared again.’_ Remembering what Jared once told him about Uncle Jerry’s Game. Keep telling yourself that you’re okay, ignore your hell reality. What Gabriella told him about his goal. Constantly practicing the calming breathing exercises Gabriella had taught him. He kept repeating the phrases, all the time. He was afraid that if he ever stopped, he would crash.


	13. Lost Love Support Group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Jared lean on each other. An odd support group of sorts for those who lost the person who means everything to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by; Sad Song; We the Kings

Agent Burke was called into his boss’s office. Deputy Director Hughes was an older man with a receding hairline. “Tell me you have something on the Uber Kidnapper case. My bosses and the press have been up my ass since he struck again.”

“Do you want leads or tips?” He subtly bit his lip. He didn’t come bearing good news.

Hughes sighed and leaned back in his black reclining desk chair. “Both.”

“We’ve received a lot of tips. With some sightings as far east as Baltimore.”

“How many are credible?”

“We’re still investigating, but so far...none.”

“What about the search efforts?”

“We’ve searched a 20 mile radius of the crime scene. We’ve considered expanding it.”

“If you keep expanding it then you’ll soon be searching the entire state. If he’s not within that radius, then he could be anywhere.” Hughes took off his large thin rimmed glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, “So, now let me get this straight, almost a dozen people have disappeared. And you and your task force can’t find _anything_ on _any_ of them.”

“He’s very good, sir. You know this.”

Hughes pounded on his dark wooden desk, “No shit, Sherlock!” He calmed again before speaking, “You’ve _got_ to find _something_. If you found a body that could be a wealth of information if it’s fresh enough. We could start to pin down how this guy works so we could use it to catch him before he strikes again.” Hughes almost completely dismissed the idea of someone getting away alive. It was more of a minor miracle than something they thought they could achieve.

“Got it, Sir.”

The task force had a large job ahead of them.

* * *

Jared was cleaning his apartment one night after an exhausting day of searching. The condo didn’t need cleaning he was just doing it to occupy his hands and his mind. He found it nearly impossible to sit still, let alone get calm enough to sleep. He barely slept or ate since this started. He couldn’t get himself to. Not only was he too worked up, but he constantly found ways to blame himself for Richard’s disappearance. He kept wondering ‘ _Why didn’t I go with him. That damn interview could have waited. Why didn’t I insist on Richard taking the car? Why didn’t I fight him when he insisted that I take the car instead?’_ He had been beating himself up over it since this started and couldn’t seem to stop. As his thoughts raced faster and faster, he got angrier and angrier at himself. His gloved hand started violently scrubbing the already clean counter.

He finally stopped when he heard a knock at the door. His heart jumped, a slim hope of who it could be. Who he hoped and prayed it was, even though he knew it was slim. He put down the sponge and took off the gloves.

When he opened the door his shoulders fell as he saw Alex standing there with a bottle of Cuban rum. Jared noticed he looked pretty drunk and the bottle of rum was half full. Jared made a bet that it was full earlier that day.

“I...I didn’t know where else to go. I need help.”

“Yes. Come in.” Jared gestured him in. Alex stumbled into Jared’s living room and collapsed on the couch and opened the bottle to take another gulp.

Jared wanted to ask what was wrong but he felt that was an obvious question. He found a way to rephrase it, “You’re not such a heavy drinker. Why tonight?”

He looked at him like his entire world had collapsed, “It’s Gabriella and my tenth anniversary today.”

Jared’s face sank and he sat next to Alex on the couch.

“It’s been two weeks and the Feds still don’t have any real leads.”

Alex passed him the half full bottle of rum, “Then, you need this too.”

Jared refused the bottle, “No, I don’t drink.”

“Come on, I’m tired of drinking alone. You need this.” Jared shrugged and took a swig before choking on it and giving the bottle back. “Gabriella would say that drinking to dull pain is a terrible coping technique. Then why does it feel so good?”

Jared nodded, he wasn’t much better with coping techniques. Repressing things, attempting to rationalize it, telling yourself you’re okay and putting up a front, weren’t exactly great ways to deal with pain. Then there was the not eating or sleeping, the self blame. Old habits that he thought he had gotten past long ago.

Jared put his hand on Alex’s shoulder, “Sometimes...we deal with things the only way we know how.” He didn't know how good an answer that was, but he couldn't think of anything else.

Alex got up and walked over to Jared’s kitchen. He set the rum on the counter, “Do you have any soda? Selzer? Juice?”

“In the fridge. Why?” Jared was confused.

“It’s easier to drink when mixed. This is hard authentic stuff. My madre sent it to me from home.” Alex found some glasses and some Coke in the fridge. He mixed two drinks and walked back to the couch, giving one to Jared before sitting back down.

“I’m glad I know someone who understands, you know. Makes me feel less alone.” Alex took a sip. Jared hesitantly followed and found that he still didn’t like the taste but drank it anyway, it was significantly weaker than the rum alone.

“I put mostly Coke in yours.”

He nodded, “Thanks.”

As much as Jared appreciated Alex’s company and understanding, he was a cruel reminder of how this could turn out. Jared feared he would be Alex in two years time.

Still in unbearable, unrelenting pain with a list of questions and no answers.

 

As they drank Jared couldn’t get what Alex said out of his head about drinking as a coping mechanism. He noticed that he had been slipping back into bad coping mechanisms and negative thought processes. He thought he had gotten past them when he was younger. Jared put his barely touched drink on the coffee table and grabbed Alex’s. “You need to stop.”

Alex was confused and tried to grab the glass back but he was too drunk, his coordination was off. “W-what?”

“Gabriella wouldn’t want you to drink. You said it yourself.” He took the drinks to the kitchen to pour them out and then put the glasses in the sink for later. Alex was still in surprise from the gesture. Jared turned back and stood in front of the couch. Perhaps it was the small amount of alcohol, but Jared had a wave of determination running through him.

“Richard would…” He looked down for a second, “He would want me to take care of myself. Ensuring I’m eating and sleeping enough. I _know_ I’m not, but I can’t bring myself to do either.” He finally took a breath, “He’d want me to stop blaming myself.” Alex knew that Jared was more talking to himself in this moment of self actualization. He sat back and let Jared get it out, “He would want me to stop agonizing about _every single damn thing_ that happened that day. Wondering if even _one_ thing changed, would Richard have come home that night? But I can’t help it. I’ve gone over that day over a thousand times."

  
Alex finally interrupted, “I’ve been there.” Jared looked at Alex like he was just remembering that he was in the room. “To this day I still find that I blame myself, in a way. Wondering if you didn’t something, _anything_ , different, would the outcome have changed. Let me tell you as someone who has been there, all that does is drive you insane. You can’t do that to yourself.” He leaned back, “Although you are right about one thing. Gabriella wouldn’t want me to be drinking.  I try not to do it often or at all around our son, but I’m just barely holding it together...I know that Richard wouldn’t want you to blame yourself and he would want you to take care of yourself.”

The men were silent for a while in thought.

Jared sat down on the couch next to Alex, “You know, there’s something that I don’t know how he would react to.” Alex looked at him in interest. Jared took a deep breath, “So before I mentioned that I made a deal with an old foe.” Alex nodded, “Basically, I made a deal with Gavin Belson that if he finds Richard and who took him, then I would greatly repay him. Which based on our history, would be the company, Pied Piper.”

Alex was shocked, “Wait, you know the CEO of Hooli? That douchebag.”

Jared nodded, “Yeah...he’s not exactly a friend. He’s been after the company for years. It’s never been stated out loud, but the agreement basically is, find Richard and the Uber Kidnapper, and he’ll get Pied Piper. Richard’s life work...Gavin has so much money and power. I figured he could find _something_.”

Alex leaned forward with this new development, “Well, _has he?”_

“He said that he’s working a couple angles but hasn’t found anything yet.” Alex slumped back into the couch. “I haven’t told the guys about this arrangement. They’ll probably be more than pissed. GIlfoyle might even slightly raise his voice. I just figured that the ends justify the means. Even though I know that’s always a terrible reason.” He shifted his body weight, “But you know, there’s something that I’ve thought about more...what if Gavin does find Richard, and he’s alive. What would he think about what I did to get him back? Would he be angry about giving away his company to his foe?”

He didn’t say it, but if Richard was found dead, then...the company didn’t really matter to Jared anymore. Because Richard wouldn’t be there.

Alex’s rum marinated mind thought for a few seconds, “Based on what you’ve told me about Richard and my knowledge of humans in general, I think he’ll just be happy to be home and alive. He’ll understand. Plus, he’ll be able to move on to his next groundbreaking idea.”

Jared shook his head, “Well this is all assuming that there is a company to give.”

“What?”

“Dinesh recently told me that we’re in need of another round of financing. And it’s not completely clear if our current investor will give it to us. We think she will, but it’s not set.”

“Why the fucking uncertainty?” Alex leaned towards Jared, his anger increasing

Jared took a breath to compose himself, “Because she’s unsure if we’ll survive losing Richard, because he’s the brains behind all this.”

Jared related to this on a completely different level.

“Of course you’ll come back from this. Plus, Richard will come back and he’ll take over again, and everything will be okay.”

Jared wished he had Alex’s optimism.

“You know, I asked Dinesh and Gilfoyle to scour Uber’s network for remnants of the hacked app. Even though the Feds are already working on it. I knew that if there was anything to find, they’d find it...but they didn’t find anything.” He took a deep breath, “I feel that if I don’t, if we don’t find him. Then I failed him. I _can’t_ fail him. Not now, when he needs me the most.” Alex didn’t know what to say to that. “It’s just...so hard...because... I’m starting to really lose hope.”  Tears streamed down Jared's face as looked at Alex’s heartbroken expression, “I’m at the end of my rope.”

Alex reassured Jared with a quote, “When you’re at the end of your rope. Tie a knot and hold on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make a writer's day!


	14. Wide Reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard learns how far Diavolo's power stretches. Jared is given a cold, hard, reality check.

Diavolo ran a tight ship. He managed to create a ring that ran the entirety of the west coast, and as far east as Las Vegas. Every man working for him was loyal to the core. Because if they weren’t, Diavolo replaced them.

In most districts he even had cops and district attorneys under his belt. Paying bribes and using threats so they’d look the other way. If someone of his did get arrested for anything, it was quickly dropped. 

That was one reason why he evaded capture for so long. Why he wasn’t on anybody’s radar, including the Feds. He essentially had local law enforcement on his side. The other reason was that he was very good at what he did.

 

Richard was in a small black sedan with Timmer. They were on their way to some hotel.

Timmer was speeding down a dark back country road when all of a sudden they heard police sirens and saw the lights flashing behind them. Timmer grumbled and pulled over to the side of the road. 

Richard’s heart stopped. There was a small feeling of hope bubbling deep within him. He tried not to get too excited. Although a wave of fear overwhelmed him as well. He saw Timmer give him a murderous look through the rearview mirror. He didn’t need to say anything. The look said it all. 

Say or do anything and everyone you care about  _ will  _ die.

The cop parked behind them and walked up to the car. He was a simple patrol cop. A middle aged pot bellied man, his patrol hat covering his bald head.

He shined his flashlight into the dark car, “License and registration.” He was all business.

“Of course, Officer.” Timmer went into the glove compartment and grabbed some papers and grabbed a license from his wallet, both of which were very good forgeries.

While the officer shined his flashlight on the documents to have a look Timmer reaffirmed his murderous glare at Richard through the rearview mirror.

The survival instinct in Richard screamed at him, ‘ _ SAY SOMETHING! He’s a cop! Say something! Do SOMETHING! Don’t just sit here! THIS IS YOUR SHOT! You have an opening! TAKE IT!’ _

But the severe fear, anxiety, and paranoia that had been drilled into him every damn day for months stepped in as well to remind him; 

‘ _ What if this cop doesn’t believe you? What if he doesn’t care? What if Timmer gets the news to Diavolo before the cops could do anything and everyone you cared about, including Jared, were murdered? If you just tried opening the door and running, the same thing would happen. They’d kill your friends before the cops could do anything.’ _

He sat there, completely paralyzed with fear.

“Your right tail light is out,” The cop informed Timmer as he looked at the name on the forged driver’s license, “David Radford.” 

“Sorry, officer. I’ll get it fixed.” He added in a lower voice but Richard could still hear, “Hey, I’m a friend of Tony’s”

Richard noticed that the cop’s eyebrows raised at that and nodded. The cop shined his flashlight to the back of the car where Richard was sitting then back at Timmer, then back to Richard. He nodded again. Richard could tell he was thinking. 

“You should get that tail light fixed. It’s dangerous on these back roads.” The cop informed, “Drive safely.” He told Timmer, “Tell Tony I said hi.” The cop walked back to his squad car and drove away. Richard’s eyes couldn’t help but uselessly follow him. It seemed like all hope had gone up in flames. Like he was repeatedly punched in the stomach. A wave of hopelessness crashed over him.

As Timmer drove away, it took a few minutes but it finally hit Richard like a freight train.

That whole thing about being ‘Tony’s friend’, was code. 

That cop was corrupt. 

If he had said or done anything, not only would the cop not have believed him or cared. He would have gotten himself beaten into next week and his friends would have been killed. 

Richard’s panic started to explode into a full panic attack. He started doing the breathing exercises that Gabriella had taught him. 

Not only was he fucking terrified of Diavolo and his men, but now the cops as well. He didn’t think he could trust any of them. 

He felt like he was falling back first into a never ending hell spiral. Wondering if there was any way out.

* * *

 

Jared furiously stormed up to Gavin’s mansion one evening. After he was buzzed in through Gavin’s security gate he pounded at the large green front door. Gavin casually answered it, but knew exactly what it was concerning. 

“You haven’t called in days.” Jared just let himself into Gavin’s elaborate foyer. Gavin’s eyebrows rose as he closed the door. 

“Because we’re not exactly swimming in leads. Let alone solid ones. You  _ know  _ that.”

Jared was  _ well  _ aware. It had been months since Richard disappeared and they didn’t have anything to go on. 

He desperately pointed at Gavin, “You  _ assured me _ that you could find Richard!” The anger melted to sadness and pure desperation.

Gavin did assure him that when he first approached the guys after being falsely accused of Richard’s disappearance. He just didn’t know how hard it was going to be to actually find Richard, dead or alive.

“You said that you had the resources to do it!” 

Gavin let out a defeated sigh. He couldn’t help but pity Jared. It was obvious to him how Jared felt about Richard. 

Gavin had been thinking that perhaps what he stood to gain wasn’t worth the cost and effort he was putting into the search. Although there was a strange part of him that just couldn’t seem to tell Jared. Some may call it a conscience or empathy.

Although Gavin just thought it was odd and off-putting. 

“I know what I said but-”

“Then how come we haven’t had any real leads in months!” Jared got into Gavin’s face who stood firm.

“Because these bastards are good! That’s why!” Gavin threw his hands up, “They covered their tracks! We’re not exactly crime savvy either!”

Jared, full of determination, lowered his voice, “You keep talking about how you have the ‘best guys on it’.”   
“And?”

“Apparently they’re shit! Or they would have found Richard by now!” 

Gavin went silent for a few moments, keeping his calm demeanor. Jared stared him down, they both knew that Jared had a solid point. 

“I’m sorry, Jared. I wish that things had turned out differently for you.” Jared didn’t know whether to believe that or not.

“What...what do you mean? Are you…” His voice drifted off before he could finish his sentence.

“If Richard isn’t found soon then it will no longer be beneficial or feasible for me to continue this manhunt.” He highly doubted that Pied Piper would survive without Richard. Let alone put him out of business. The benefit Gavin was looking for in this search, getting Pied Piper in exchange for Richard and the Uber Kidnapper, did not seem possible anymore.

Jared looked like a kicked puppy. “Wha-what? Why?”

“I need to be focusing on other things. As should you. You should move on from Richard. It’s only healthy.” 

Jared hadn’t stopped searching since he realized Richard had disappeared. This was the first time someone told him to stop looking and move on. 

Gavin noticed the kicked puppy look on Jared’s face. The realization hit him, “Oh my god. You don’t actually think he’s somehow still alive, do you?” He cautiously walked closer towards Jared, “You know that this is a body search, right? Or more accurately, a search for bones.”

Jared looked down. He couldn’t look at Gavin. His defense mechanisms to deny the probable reality kicked into overdrive. Jared put his hands up to his ears and started incoherently muttering to himself as Gavin continued. Jared didn’t want to hear it.

He couldn’t hear it.

Gavin continued to give Jared a cold hard reality check, “It’s been months, he’s dead. The Uber Kidnapper most definitely killed him by now. Even if he did live past the initial abduction, he was probably offed somewhere else shortly after. Some secondary location. He was probably dead by the time the Feds even found out. Statistically, the odds of surviving a secondary location are slim to none.”

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Jared still had his hands over his ears mindlessly backing away. Gavin finally stopped and his face softened. “No! No! NO! NO! NO!” Jared’s voice got louder and louder as his denial grew. Refusing to even listen to what Gavin had to say. 

Jared removed his hands from his ears and looked back at Gavin, “I can’t...I can’t stop. I can’t just stop looking for him. He’s out there. I know it! I know it!” 

Gavin felt such intense pity for Jared.  ‘ _ This poor bastard. Still thinks he’s alive.’  _

“Even if he is alive, do you think you’ll find him and he’ll come back to the company and you’ll all sing kumbaya. Because that’s not gonna happen. If by some miracle he is alive, that means that he’s been held captive and probably tortured for months. So he’ll be  _ fucked up _ . Probably never able to work or be ‘normal’ again.”

Jared put his hands back up over his ears backing away, “STOP! STOP! STOP!”

“Some would say it would be more humane if he was killed quickly. Like putting down a sick dog so they don’t have to suffer anymore.”

“STOP!”

In a way, Gavin had a point. Things were  _ never  _ going to be like they were before. Richard was _never_ going to be the same again.

Jared removed his hands from his ears with a renewed determination, “I know he’s still out there! I’m going to find him! With or without you! I’ll make everything okay again! I’ll make him okay again!”

Gavin had no idea how to deal with emotions so he was completely out of his depth. “Alright.” He started to walk away, due to loss of interest and to avoid further dealing with an emotional outburst, “Prove me wrong.”

Jared called out from across the large foyer, “I will!”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So shit really starts to hit the fan next chapter, setting the stage for the first climax of this fic. I've been working on it a lot and I'm almost done with it. I'm super excited about it!  
> So buckle up, motherfuckers!
> 
> Also, comments are a writer's best friend!!!!


	15. The Things You See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diavolo takes the group to a Super Bowl party where he threatens what would happen if they didn't make him enough money.  
> One person pays the ultimate price.

It didn’t take Richard long to lose most sense of time. Days and weeks blended together. He never really knew what day it was, nor did it really matter. Everyday was the same. They were taken somewhere, mostly a hotel or party, and expected to make as much money as possible. If even one of them didn’t, then they all got a beating.

It was when Timmer started talking about the upcoming Super Bowl that Richard even realized what month it was. (Since seasons didn’t change too drastically in California.) He remembered how long he’d been there. He tried not to think about it. He tried not to think about how he was taken in the heat of summer and now it was towards the end of winter.

But he couldn’t get it out of his head.

His brain was on a loop and he couldn’t turn it off. ‘ _You were taken in summer and now it’s late winter. You were taken in summer and now it’s late winter. You were taken in summer and now it’s late winter.’_

Timmer brought up the Super Bowl in the first place because it was taking place in San Francisco that year and the surge of eager tourists with fat wallets provided Diavolo with a nice bonus. He ran a tight and profitable operation seven days a week but he never passed up an opportunity to expand his profits and push his workers past their limits. Diavolo predicted that he would make double what he normally made on a regular Sunday night. Timmer would tell them how vital it was that they all exceed expectations or else they would pay the ultimate price and be replaced.

Richard used to think that perhaps being he would become numb to the _constant_ violent threats from Diavolo and his men.

He didn’t.

Far from it.

In fact...it had only gotten worse.

Richard finally knew what day it was when Diavolo came into see them with a devious smile while smoking a cigar. They normally didn’t see Diavolo often, mostly seeing Timmer or other guys who worked for Diavolo.

“It’s showtime.”

* * *

 

In a forgotten corner of the city, they were taken to an old tunnel where a ravine had dried up long ago. They were led into the old brick tunnel. Richard kept thinking, ‘ _Okay this is where I die. This is when it happens. This is where they kill us. Honestly it’s long overdue. Survived much longer than I thought.’_ They walked down the long completely dark corridor with only a couple of flashlights held by Timmer and Diavolo. They walked over an old deserted rail track that had moss growing from it and small puddles of unidentifiable liquid. Richard startled and nearly yelled when he almost stepped on a dead decaying rat.

They took a left and stepped up into a curved brick archway. The walked down the pitch black corridor for a few moments before walking into a large dark space that looked like an abandoned warehouse. The sounds of their footsteps echoed throughout the space. They heard odd creaks and cracks echo and long boarded up windows. Towards the other end of the warehouse they saw a young woman who exchanged silent nods with Diavolo before they passed her and were led on to one of those old fashioned rickody metal elevators. The woman slid the large metal cage style door closed and pressed a button. The metal box lifted them up for about a minute or so before stopping and another a young man opened the gate.

 

As they got out the heard booming techno music and saw glaring strobe lights. The rest of the elaborate club was shrouded in darkness. The crowd was larger than normal and seemed more high profile than what the group was normally taken to. It turned out to be a secret club for the ultra rich and powerful. Due to past experience, Richard couldn’t help but wonder how many were in positions of power and how many were corrupt.

It turned out their was the police commissioner, a couple state representatives, and a senator. All of them made a note to thank Diavolo for coming. As soon as they entered the club Diavolo threatened the group, “Don’t dissapoint.”

As the night wore on Richard survived how he normally had, disassociate his mind from reality. He had gotten shockingly good at it. As he was forced on his hands and knees taking one right after another, he disassociated. Pretending he was someone else, somewhere else, doing something else. He would think about mechanical things, such as how to solve all different kinds of code errors.

Also booze. Booze and drugs helped a lot. And these parties were littered with them.

These guests took more than full advantage of the liquor and party drugs, supplied by another branch of Diavolo’s ring. Not only did this cause the party goers to be more demanding and handsy, but more violent. Towards the end of the night when Diavolo collected the group and noticed most had bruises and black eyes. This led to Diavolo beating up the owner of the club saying that his guests, “damaged the products. Nobody likes them marked up.”

After beating the shit out of him and nearly killing him. He collected his payments for the night, including some of what he called “restitution” money, although most would call it a mugging, he collected the group and all his men and returned to the cellar.

* * *

 

The next day Diavolo was sitting in his office on his large throne like chair doing another crossword puzzle while smoking a Cuban cigar when Timmer came in with some papers.

“Boss, I got the final numbers from last night.”

Diavolo raised his eyebrows and looked up from his puzzle. “Oh.” He reached out for the papers, which Timmer handed over.

“We met expectations, Boss.”

Diavolo looked at the numbers, “I’d rather exceed them, but that’s alright.” He saw an anomaly in the numbers, which were meticulously organized by how much each person made, “What the fuck is this?” He pointed to the numbers on the page. “He underperformed?”

“Yes, he did.”

“It looks like made less than everyone else as well as not hitting our standards.” Diavolo skimmed the stapled spreadsheets.

“What course of action would you like to take, Boss?”

He closed the collection of spreadsheets and handed them back to Timmer, “Get rid of him. Make an example of him. What happens when you underperform.”

“Should I tell Craig to get another one?”

Diavolo stroked his chin in thought, “Yes, make sure the next one lasts longer. Turnover’s such a bitch.”

“Alright, Boss.”

* * *

 

Timmer opened the cell door. Richard thought that he looked angrier than normal and his panic went into overdrive, fearful of why he was there and what he was going to do. Timmer wordlessly slammed the heavy metal door shut and went for his belt without breaking eye contact with the group who were sitting along the wall. He folded the black leather belt in half and ran it through his hand. He straightened it out, “You disappointed us. We warned you what would happen if you disappointed us.”

He stormed up to Luis and pulled him over to a corner like he weighed nothing. He started mercilessly beating Luis with his belt buckle.

Richard curled back into his corner and started screaming as did Marie and Summer. Gabriella stood behind Timmer yelling at him to stop, trying to pry him away.

Timmer turned around and backhanded Gabriella across the face so hard she fell onto her back, almost hitting her head on the stone floor.

“You’re not changing my mind again, whore!”

He turned back to Luis and continued beating him. Richard tried to close his eyes and put his hands over his ears as he violently shook, rocking back and forth. He curled in on himself. He still heard Luis’s wretched screams, the belt whooshing through the air, and the smack each time it hit Luis’s skin. He flinched each time he heard it, remembering how it felt from whenever he was beaten. Richard opened his eyes and as soon as he saw the silver rectangular belt buckle covered in blood. He quickly closed his eyes again.

It seemed like the beating went on forever. After a few seconds went by without hearing the belt buckle hit Luis, Richard was about to open his eyes but he heard a small, “Don’t.” It was Gabriella, he listened.

Richard heard a clicking sound, he didn’t know what it was. What followed the click was the deafening sharp pop of a gunshot that would ring in his ears for days to come. He heard three different pops. His heart and lungs were slamming against his chest. His blood coursed through him. He couldn’t stop the violent shakes that overtook him and the screams of terror coming from his horse throat.

“Look at him!” Timmer commanded the group. He noticed that Richard’s eyes were still closed, “ _ **LOOK AT HIM!**_ ” 

Richard slowly opened his eyes and saw Luis’s battered body lying in a small pool of blood, his limbs curled in on himself in a futile attempt to defend himself. His grey t-shirt was covered in blood, Luis’s head was tilted to the side where Richard could see his left eye was swollen shut but his right eye was still open but glazed over.

“This is what happens when you disappoint us!” Timmer pointed to Luis’s dead body before storming out, leaving the body there.

Richard sat back, curled up in pure shock and horror. He opened his mouth to scream again but nothing came out. Tears streamed down his beet red face. He struggled to take deep breaths. He still heard his heart and lungs slamming against his chest, his blood whooshing through his body. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. He saw Gabriella get up and close Luis’s open eye, she gently did the sign of the cross on his bloody forehead and whispered something in Spanish. Richard thought it was some sort of prayer. She put her small black athletic jacket over his face. She turned to Richard and the girls, “Look away. Turn around.”

Even though they all knew it was too late.

The damage had been done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor guy, but there’s a method to the madness. He died for a plot reason.


	16. It's Not Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pied Piper has an emotional launch. Luis's murder propels Richard to act.

_...Thirty one, thirty two, thirty three, thirty four, thirty five..._

Richard sat staring at the wall, counting the cracks in the stone. Then multiplying and dividing the numbers. He couldn’t bring himself to look at or even think about how Luis’s deady body was still lying across the small cell. He wondered how long until they finally took his body away.

One thought kept racing through his mind, ‘ _This is how this will end. They’re eventually going to kill you. They’re going to kill everyone here eventually. It’s just a matter of time. As soon as they deem you unimportant, you’re dead. There is no happy ending here. No one is coming for you. You were taken in summer, it’s almost spring.’_

Although no distraction could divert his mind from the putrid rotting smell of a decomposing corpse. It smelled like someone left rotten eggs, meat, and shit in a hot car in the baking sun for a couple days.

No matter how hard he’d try, he’d _never_ forget that smell. He could never get it rid of it. He fought wave after wave of mind seering nausea, trying not to vomit, but he had failed quite a few times.

He truly realized that if he didn’t figure a way out, they would eventually kill him.

If they caught him trying to escape, they’d kill him.

He thought, ' _Well then you better think of something that better fucking work. Because the alternative is being here until they find a reason to kill you, or to kill everyone else.'_

* * *

Jared was about to leave his condo one morning when he gave Alex a call as he walked out the door.

“Hey, Jared. What’s up?” He heard kids chatting in the background.

Jared locked his door, “Hey, um, I was just wondering if you would search this area with me. You know, talk to some people. See if they know anything.”

“Of course. I’m dropping off Rafael at school right now. So just text me the meeting point and I’ll drive right over.”

“Great. Thanks.” Jared pressed the button for the elevator to the parking garage.

“Who’s going to be there? Just us again?”

Jared sighed, “Yeah. Just us.” As he had feared, the searched had really winded down and people stop volunteering to help. The Feds said that even the trail was cold they would still continue to find out who the Uber Kidnapper was.

Jared didn’t take that much solace in that.

“What about Dinesh and Gilfoyle?”

Jared brushed it off as he got into the elevator, “Oh they’re busy with the company. I don’t want to bother them.”

“How is the company by the way?” Jared heard a car door slam and an engine start. The audio quality changed and he could tell he was on Alex’s car Bluetooth.

“Good...actually. We launch soon.” Jared walked off the elevator into the parking garage to find his Volt.

“Oh that’s awesome. When? I really want to try it.”

Jared took the phone from his ear and looked at the time before putting the phone back, “Actually about two hours from now.” Jared unlocked his car and got in.

“Wait, what? Seriously?”

Jared let out an uncomfortable half chuckle, “Yeah. Yeah, it’s true.”

“You should be there for the big launch. Have a drink for me. You’ve all earned it. Celebrate.”

Jared turned on his Volt, “Well...there isn’t much to celebrate.” He heard Alex heavily sigh.

“Now I have to ask and sadly have this talk over the phone. Why are you spending the day searching instead of going to the launch? Why aren’t you happy about it?”

“We’re really happy to launch and release this new internet into the world.” Jared responded, beating around the bush. As he drove out of the parking garage, he heard Alex groan.

“Don’t give me some company statement bullshit, Jared. How do you _honestly_ feel about the launch and why aren’t you going? Honestly.” Jared sighed and pulled the car over towards the curb. “You know you can be real with me, right?”

Jared tried to get his thoughts together in a coherent manner. He opened his mouth to speak but the words just didn’t seem to come. He tried again, “I-I _know_ that life isn’t fair, I learned that from a very young age...but it just _really fucking hurts_ that Richard isn’t going to be able to see his life’s work release into the world. He tried for _years_ to get this company off the ground and he doesn’t get to see it finally launch. That’s fucking bullshit!” His pain quickly turned to anger. He repeatedly slammed his fist on the car’s dashboard.

“And we still don’t know what fucking happened! The kidnapper is still out there!” Jared took a couple deep breathes, “Why did this happen?” A question that was all too familiar to Jared.

Alex took a breath, “If I knew that then I’d be a lot better off...and I’d have an explanation for my son.”

“Richard should be there today. We should be celebrating. He’d be so anxious yet so excited...It’s...it’s not fair.” Alex was silent on the phone for a few moments as Jared pulled himself together, trying to keep from crying but the tears started to fall anyway, “I know that we have to launch, we have to keep the company running and in order to do that we need to launch our product...but I just...that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to halt everything till he’s found so he can be there to enjoy it too.”

Alex collected his thoughts before giving Jared some encouragement, “Richard would want you to be there. He’d want the company to continue. He knows you’re doing everything you can to find him. Go for him. Go because of him. Go because he can’t.”

Jared thought about what he heard for a while. “Like go in his place?”

“Yeah...I feel that you’ll regret not being there.” Jared knew that Alex had a point, “Do it for him.”

Jared sighed and put his car in drive, heading to the office.

* * *

 

Jared pulled into the office parking garage and parked near the stairwell. He turned off the car but stopped before he got out. His hand hovered over the door handle. He didn’t know if he could do this. He took a few deep breaths to calm down. “He’d want you to do this. Right? Be there for him. You be there for him. You be there for him. Ensure everything goes the way…” He wiped away from a budding tear, “The way he’d want it.”

With another deep breath he mustered up the courage and got out of the car. He walked into the office trying to hold his head high.

He walked into the Pied Piper offices and saw everyone was already celebrating. As soon as Dinesh saw he was there his eyes widened in surprise and he nudged Gilfoyle and Monica who were standing next to him. They followed him to the kitchen along the bar.

“We didn’t think you’d show up.” Gilfoyle started, “...I know that sounded sarcastic but I was being serious.” Jared’s attendance had been really hit or miss since Richard’s disappearance. No one had ever really brought it up to Jared. Primarily because no one had the nerve to say, ‘hey I know the love of your life have been missing for months, but hey perhaps do your job here.’ Monica, Dinesh, and Gilfoyle helped when they could. They humored Jared all the times he claimed he had leads that everyone knew would be dead ends.

Jared took another deep breath, “He’d want all of us to be here. To celebrate what we built together.” He took a second to compose himself, turning to face the wall.

Monica walked up behind him and put his hand on his shoulder, “You going to be okay?”

He looked at Monica and said, “This is bullshit. Richard should be there. This is his life’s work. It’s fucking bullshit that he can’t be here.”

“You’re 100% right.” Jared squinted in mild surprise.

“This _is_ bullshit. It isn’t fair. Because he _should_ be here. Although, you know he’d want the company to continue.” Monica added, “We had a candid discussion about this last night over drinks and  realized something other than obvious of how he should be here.” Jared turned confused, wondering what they conclusion they could have drawn.

“Even if we never see Richard again. All this.” Monica motioned around him, “All of this is Richard’s. He created it all. We just followed. All of this happened because of him. This new internet. _This_ is his legacy. It will always be his. No matter if he’s here or not...He’ll never be forgotten. ”

Jared was stunned into silence for a while. GIlfoyle saw the countdown on the large monitor they had set up in front of all the workstations. It had only seconds left.

“So...are you ready to do this?” Jared realized what Gilfoyle was looking at and turned around.

He took a deep breath and gave a slight nod.

They watched as everyone counted down.

_Five. Four. Three. Two. One._

* * *

When two of Diavolo’s men finally came by collect Luis’s body, they told the remaining members of the group that it was time to work again. Richard never found out what they did with Luis’s body. He just hoped that it was even remotely humane.

The next morning when they were herded back into the cell like cattle. Richard spent most of the day deep in thought with his hand fiddling with something in his jean pocket.

He finally spoke up, “There’s going to kill us, eventually. That’s just a fact.” The girls turned their attention to him. Gabriella looked like she was going to smack him again for being pessimistic. “If...If we don’t get ourselves out. Then they will eventually find a reason to kill us.”

“If they find us escaping, we dead.” Marie raised her eyebrows

“Well then we won’t get caught.”

"What if we do?" Gabriella asked

"Then...we go down fighting."

“What are you proposing?”

Richard pulled the item out of his pocket that he had been fiddling with since they got back. A medium sized red swiss army knife with various tools attached to it. “I took this off some drunk guy last night. He didn’t even notice.”

“So we’re going to use a tiny knife to stab a guy that has at least a 100lbs on us and a gun? Great plan.” Sarcasm dripped from Summer’s voice. Gabriella was trying to understand where Richard was going with this.

“No.” Richard shook his head and pulled out the screwdriver attachment, “Nothing like that at all. If this plan works, then they won’t even realize it until we’re long gone. ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> buckle up


	17. I See Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard and the group plot and execute a harrowing escape plan. Knowing they only have one shot. If they fail, the consequences would be deadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title by I See Fire; Peter Hollens (beautiful and haunting video and cover btw)  
> Inspired by; The Hanging Tree; Peter Hollens, Run Boy Run; Woodkid, Sacrifice; Zella Day, Meet Me on the Battlefield, Tomorrow We Fight; Svrcina. Will I Make It Out Alive; Jessie Early  
> (Those also mostly for 18 as well, which runs parallel and a continuation of 17 and by the end you'll see why)  
> These next two chapters were really cool to write, but due to their intensity very emotionally draining.

“How would it work?” Gabriella slightly tilted her head in interest, wondering if this was even remotely achievable.

Richard pulled out the small screwdriver attachment of the swiss army knife and showed it to them, “This is around the size and shape needed to pry the pins from the door hinge. Since the door locks from the outside.” He shrugged, “Not perfect, but we can make it work. After we get the door hinges off we can open it just enough to get out.”

“So we’re in the hallway. What’s next?”

“I noticed there’s a moderately sized vent up on the wall about halfway down the hallway. Since we’re all skinny and have small frames, I bet we could all fit.”

Gabriella and Summer thought for a few seconds. Gabriella had never thought about going through the vents before. Neither had anyone else for that matter.  “That vent’s a little high, how would we get up there?”

“I’m tall, I could reach it. I could give you three a boost then you could pull me up.”

Gabriella knew where he was going with this, “And vents lead outside.”

“Exactly!” Richard started getting excited, “Once we get outside we start running until...we find help.”

“We go to police.” Marie guessed what the next step was.

Richard’s eyes widened and he shook his head, “No, no, no. Diavolo has paid off cops. Since we don’t know which ones are on his side, we can’t trust any of them.”

“So, if we’re not going to the cops, then what are we going to do?” Gabriella understood his reluctance to go to the authorities.

Richard was at a loss for words, his instincts knew what he wanted to do, so he went with it, “We find a phone we can use. Then call someone who can be trusted to pick us up.”

Gabriella knew that Richard had a certain someone in mind. “He can help us?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Who are you talking about?” Marie asked

“Probably his unofficial boyfriend.” Summer gave Richard a shit eating grin.

Richard blushed and shifted uncomfortably, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“But you’d like him to be.” Summer wouldn’t let it go.

“Can we get back to the point? Please.” Richard shifted his weight again with rosy red cheeks.

“Aww, come on. You’re in love, it’s cute. Also, we never get to laugh. I’ll take what I can get.”

Gabriella got them back on track, “So when would this all happen?”

Richard got his mind back to their plan, “In the morning. Once we’re back and they’re all asleep. That should buy us enough time to get far enough away.” He took a deep breath, “But we all have to be in, or else this won’t work...are you in?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m in.”

“Let’s do this.”

Gabriella hated to be that person again, but she had to ask, “What if it doesn’t work?”

“It _will_ work. It _has_ to work..failure _isn’t_ an option.” There was raw desperation and fear in Richard’s voice.

They knew they only had one shot at this. It _had_ to work.

Or else they were all dead.

* * *

The next morning when they were brought back to the cellar they sat in mostly silence. Richard paced the cell in an effort to burn off his anxious energy. They had to wait long enough that the Diavolo and his men were already asleep and wouldn’t notice them leaving the cell, but not too long that they wouldn’t have enough time to get far enough away.

Marie kept on asking when they were going to go. Richard kept telling her that they needed to wait a little longer.

Gabriella finally asked, “You’re not backing out, are you? Because this doesn’t work without all of us.”

Richard continued his pacing. He ran his hands through his hair with a deep breath, “I know. I’m not.”

She got up and gently put her hands on the front of his shoulders, sensing his severe anxiety, “Deep breaths.” She demonstrated for him, “In. Hold. Out.” He followed her instructions a couple times before she continued. Her voice was gentle yet firm, “If we’re going to do this. We have to do it now.”

Richard felt himself grow calmer after the deep breathing. “I know. I know.”

“Then what do you say, let’s do this.” She gave him an encouraging smile before letting go of his shoulders.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

Richard grabbed the swiss army knife from where he hid it in the almost empty first aid kit. The others were right behind him as he took the knife to the door. He pulled out the screwdriver attachment and with shaky hands started to pry the screws out of the hinges. He quickly grew frustrated when he couldn’t get it. Gabriella kept encouraging him to continue until he finally broke, “I...I can’t do it. You try.” He passed Gabriella the knife. After a couple of attempts she managed to get the first of three screws loose. With a little more time and patience she managed to get the other two loose.

They all grabbed the side of the door, since the door was steel it took some muffled grunts and a lot of leg work but they managed to pull it open enough that they could all slither through, closing it behind them. Hopefully for good.

Once they were in the dark stone hallway they silently crept down towards the vent that they hoped would bring them to freedom.

Richard saw it first, a few feet up the wall, and silently pointed it out the women. Gabriella handed the knife to him and he reached up to unscrew the vent cover. The screwdriver was a little small for the screws but with some careful maneuvering he managed to make it work and unscrew the four screws holding the cover in place. He delicately placed the cover on the stone floor, praying it didn’t make a sound. Richard nodded and started helping the girls up. Summer was tall enough to mostly get up on her own and only needed a little boost to make it in. With some silent grunts and leg work he helped Marie and Gabriella get up into the vent. Then they pulled up Richard who replaced the vent cover the best he could from the inside.

They slowly crawled through the dusty dark corridors that were just wide enough and barely tall enough to fit fit them. Little shards of metal kept scraping them leaving them little cuts all over and snagging their clothes as the corridors weren’t smooth pieces of metal.

They eventually found the end and crawled out. Once they were all out and the cover was placed back on top of the vent, they stood in silence and just looked at each other. Everyone was thinking the same thing, ‘ _Holy shit...is...is this actually going to work?’_ They got themselves together and started sprinting towards the west side of the property full of lush trees and vegetation.

Richard had never truly ran for his life before. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, propelling him to run faster than he ever thought possible. His heart thrashed against his chest, he felt his whole body working; his leg muscles running warm, fresh air entered his lungs and blood flowed into all his limbs. His sneakers pounded against the grassy dirt.

‘ _You’re going to see Jared again. You’re going to hear his voice again. Oh god he must be worried sick. But you know what, it’s okay because this will be over. You’ll be out. Free. Home safe. No more coercion. No more threats. No more beatings. No more violence. This will be just a blip on the timeline of your life. You’re going to_ **_feel human again._ ** _Things will be okay again. You’re biggest problems will be about code errors and company funding. Not if you’ll survive the day or night and what scars you’ll get along the way. You'll be **living**_ _again, not just **surviving.** You’re going to finally _ **_get your life back_ ** _.’_

This motivated him to sprint even faster.

* * *

Timmer walked down the corridor with a couple small plastic containers of leftovers. He yawned as he got the keys out to open the door. When he unlocked the door and pushed it open it started wobbling from either side, which greatly confused and alarmed him. He tossed the plastic containers to the floor and grabbed a side of the door to push open. His eyes widened and jaw dropped when he saw the empty cell, “Son of a bitch!”

He ran to inform Diavolo.

 

The four stumbled to a stop when they reached the apparent west end of the property. They looked up with wide eyes at the fifteen foot high chain link fence with twisted barbed wire on top.

Summer said what they were all thinking, “Well, fuck.”

They knew that they couldn’t climb that. Even if they could scale the fence, they couldn’t get past the barbed wire and still be able to keep running. The barbs would pierce into them, giving them large wounds that would make them unable to run.

“Under!” Gabriella dropped to her knees and started clawing at the patchy dry grass, trying to get to the dirt underneath. Everyone else followed her.

Sweat poured down their faces and dirt stuck their arms and clothes as they tried to dig a small ditch they could crawl through and under the fence.

Gabriella stopped when she heard it. She immediately raised her head in attention. She moved her sweat soaked curly brown hair from her ears to hear better. The others realized she stopped and looked at her with fear.

“What?”

She listened again. Richard tried to hear what she was apparently hearing. It was a voice. A voice they would instantly recognize anywhere, “I..I hear them.”

“I...I he-hear them too.” Fear etched in his voice.

“Fast! Fast!” Marie urged with a wave of her hand. As she continued to claw away the dirt the others followed, even though due to the fence’s depth and rigidity, they were far from having enough room to crawl under and out to freedom.

They heard the voices grow louder and louder. They heard hounds barking get louder and louder. They clawed at the dirt faster and faster until Gabriella stopped and got up. She took a couple deep breathes and wiped her forehead with her sweaty dirty arm, “They’re getting too close. We won’t get it in time.”

“Wha-?” Richard was going to ask, ‘ _then what are we going to do?’_ but he couldn’t find the words.

“We have to run. Hide. We have to lose them.”

“What about the front?” Marie asked, the rest of them still kneeling on the ground.

“No, he probably has a ton of cameras.” She took a couple of unconscious steps as she thought, “Probably a lot around the back as well….The sides. We’re on the sides. Stay there. Find a weaker part of fence along the east or west sides.”

“Aww, you thought you could get away from me! How adorable!”

They all swung around so fast they almost saw stars. Diavolo, Timmer, a group of bloodhounds, and a couple more of Diavolo’s muscle men were about thirty yards away. Each of Diavolo’s men had a Glock aimed at them.

Gabriella grabbed Richard’s arm with one hand and Summer’s with the other while yelling at Marie who was in front of them, **“RUN!** ”

Marie, in a desperate attempt to escape, started to climb the fence like a feral animal. She only managed to get a couple feet off the ground before there was a click of a Glock, a loud pop, then a loud thud of a body crashing to the ground. A bullet lodged deep in her temple. Blood and bits of brain slowly bled from her head, pooling around her pale body.

Richard opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. He felt something wet on his face and on his t-shirt. It was Marie’s blood and bits of brain tissue. He was frozen in fear, he couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. He was pulled back to reality with Gabriella desperately pulling at his arm with one hand. “Can’t look back!” He ran with her and Summer, praying that he wasn’t next.

They sprinted around large sycamore and black walnut trees, jumping over fallen branches and logs.

Gabriella clutched onto Summer and Richard’s hands. Richard couldn’t even process what was happening, his body was on complete autopilot. He’d later only remember this escape only in fragmented bits and pieces. He couldn’t stop running. He just tried to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He felt like he was hurling himself forward. His breath came in small spurts, hot and nervous. At his sides, pale fingers curled into sweaty fists, swinging forward as if it would make him faster. Behind them, Richard swore he heard Diavolo’s men and the howl from the bloodhounds. Mud smeared his dirty sweaty face as sweat dripped from his matted down curls. His lungs and heart were pumping, but the air didn't seem to be enough as he sprinted forward, panic trembling in his exhausted limbs which begged for the rest they wouldn’t receive. He clutched onto Gabriella’s hand even tighter. Grasping his lifeline.

 

They jumped over a log around some sycamore trees when he lost his grasp on Gabriella’s hand. He looked back and saw that she had tripped over the log and had face planted on the ground.

“Gabriella!!” He and Summer tried to help her up. Her entire front was covered in mud and grass, covering up the blood splatter from Marie’s murder. It didn’t take them long to realize that she couldn’t stand.

“What happened?!”

She looked down at her bare feet, “My ankle.” They noticed her left ankle was already swelling to about double the size of the right. Richard tried to gently rub off some of the dirt and grass off her foot to see it was almost completely black and blue. Even the gentle rubbing made Gabriella hiss in pain through gritted teeth.

“Can you run?” Even though it sounded like a dumb question, Summer had to ask.

She tried to put weight on it but hissed in pain, her voice broke, “I...I can’t. I-it’s broken.” She knew what they had to do. “You two need to run. Now! They’ll find us.”

Richard barked and pointed, “We’re NOT leaving you!” He tried to lift her up but she batted him away.

“You HAVE to! They WILL find us and kill us! You HAVE to run!”

“I’m NOT leaving you to die!  That’s just NOT happening!” Richard took a deep haggard breath, “We’re in this together. No one gets left behind.” He got them into this mess, he was determined to get them out.

Gabriella saw the raw desperation and anguish on his face and in his eyes. She knew that he wouldn’t leave her, which would mean certain death for all three of them. She knew they couldn't carry her. Dragging her along would drastically slow them down. She needed to ensure that Summer and Richard at least got far enough away to be safe. Even if it meant it was the last thing she did.

She gently took his hand, her voice had a much calmer and gentler tone, “How about you help me get into that large shrub over there.” She pointed to a large batch of manzanita shrubs. “Then you run to get help and they can come to get me.”

She knew it wasn’t going to work.She knew she was a dead woman walking. She accepted it. They’d find her by the time help arrived, but if it got Summer and Richard to relative safety and to call for help. Then it would serve it’s true purpose.

Richard took that compromise, deluded into thinking that it would actually work. They slowly helped her over to the shrub and helped camouflage her so she hopefully wouldn’t be found. Once they finished Richard couldn’t stop staring.

“Richard, we have to go. We’re wasting time.” Summer pulled his arm. He couldn’t resist but helplessly look back as they started to run.

* * *

“Do you want me to kill them, Boss?” Timmer asked for confirmation as he cocked his Glock again as they walked up to Marie’s dead body.

Diavolo stroked his chin, “You know what. Let them live, give them a fate worse than death. Since they were apparently so unhappy here, let’s show them how good they had it. Is Old Nick still in town?”

“I think.”

“I’ll give him a call. See if he wants any of them. A few days with him and they’ll be _begging_ to come back here.” A evil smile crawled across his face. “We’ll restock this house. Where’s Craig? He was supposed to be here already with the replacement.”

Another one of Diavolo’s men wrung his hands. A younger man with choppy brown hair and pale skin. “Umm, yeah. I was going to tell you then all this happened.”

“What?”

“Umm..well…”

“Spit it out!”

“I’ve been trying to call Craig for a while and when I couldn’t I reached out to a couple contacts.”

“And?!”

“The...The Feds got him late last night. A just got a text from a contact…He took a deal….He flipped on you, Boss.”

Diavolo’s face went blank as he processed what he had just heard. He kept an eerie calmness and he commanded his men, “Start Operation Redfin. I’ll get Old Nick on the phone. If he doesn’t show up in the next hour, kill all hostages you find. If he does show, kill anyone he doesn’t want. We can’t afford anyone talking. We’ll use the money to lay low at the safehouse until this all blows over. Also, make sure Craig doesn’t say more than he already has.”

“Got it, Boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did they finally catch Craig? How much does he actually know about Diavolo's operation? That's an interesting little story.


	18. No Bravery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Feds act on a large break in the Uber Kidnapper case.  
> Richard's harrowing escape culminates to a stunning conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title by; No Bravery; James Blunt  
> Inspired by; Run; Snow Patrol, Last Goodbye; Peter Hollens, We Might Fall; Ryan Star, Rue's Farewell; James Newton Howard, song mentions from chapter 17, I See Fire.

Meanwhile:

Rachel drunkenly slipped into the red cocktail dress she was wearing the night before which complemented her olive skin and stumbled out of her Tinder date’s studio apartment while she was still asleep. Rachel pulled her long chestnut brown hair into a ponytail while she called the elevator then pulled her phone from her small matching clutch to call an Uber back to her apartment. 

She waited outside the row of townhouses before her Uber arrived. “Rachel?” The man confirmed.

“Yes.” She got into the white sedan, not even checking her app to see if the car matched.

It didn’t.

“Going home from a friend’s?” He asked

She was busy texting friends about her hookup. She barely looked up at him, “Yeah.”

“Have a fun night?”

“Hella.”

“Well that’s good.” He adjusted the rearview mirror and smiled with a sinister glimmer in his eye.

She looked out the window and noticed they were still on the opposite side of town after a couple minutes of driving. She checked the app and noticed they were going a  _ really _ indirect route and the car on the account, a silver Nissan sedan, didn’t match the car she was currently in, a white Chevy sedan.  

Her heart started racing and she immediately started to feel more sober with more adrelene than alcohol pulsing through her system. She knew it was him.

The Uber Kidnapper.

She tried to stay calm and not alarm the driver that she figured it out. She knew she had to get a picture of him to give to the cops then find a way to get the fuck out of there. She took a picture of him in the rearview mirror while she pretended to be taking selfies. 

‘ _ She’ll be an easy take. Too drunk and stupid to fight back.’  _ Craig thought as he saw her posing for selfies, trying to get the right angle. Never having the slightest clue that she was actually photographing him. ' _Well at least if this drunk one pukes you're ditching the car anyway.'_

It took a couple of attempts but she managed to get a good picture of his face. She looked on her maps app and saw a pizza place a block away that happened to be on their route. 

“I’m so fucking hungry, man. Fuck I want food. I wanna stop for food. Stop the car!” She started to weakly tug at the locked door. When they passed the pizza joint she yelled, “PIZZZZZAAAAA!!!!” She pointed at the place through the window.

Craig sighed and rolled his eyes. He always hated the drunk ones because of how annoying they were. ' _Why are the drunk ones always so damn hungry and loud?'_

“Stop! Stop!” She pulled at the door again. “PIZZA! PIZZA!” Although the surge of adrenaline helped her sober up, she still didn’t need too much help to act absolutely smashed.

Craig groaned, considering his options. He couldn’t kidnap her there. They were in the middle of downtown San Francisco. He figured he’d just let the girl out and get another one. There were plenty of bars around that were having last call. 

“Alright. Go.” He unlocked the doors and ended the ride on the app. His phone was on a mount on the dash.

“Thanks, bro!” She stumbled out of the car and into the small pizza joint. As soon as the door closed and she was inside safely she called 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“The Uber Kidnapper just tried to kidnap me!”

The female operator tried to keep her calm, “Okay miss, you said that he tried. Are you away from him?”

“Yeah. After I realized it I told him I wanted to stop for pizza. He doesn’t know I know.”

“Where are you?”

“Nizaro’s Pizza, on  Valencia Street.”

“Do you know where he’s going?”

“No, sorry.”

“What kind of car was he driving? Did you get the model or license?”

She rubbed her forehead, “I don’t know the license, but I think the plate was from Oregon. I could be wrong, but it was a white Chevy sedan. It had a GPS and looked newer so probably from the last couple years. I’m sorry I don’t know more. I got a picture of him though.”

“Alright, thank you so much. I will call the police to your location as have some dispatched to search for him. Stay there.”

The local police and Feds were dispatched immediately. As soon as some of Burke and Shaw’s task force got to the pizza place they questioned Rachel and she told them everything she knew, along with giving them the photo. They were able to quickly identify him and circulate the photo amongst local law and travel enforcement. All tunnels, bridges, traffic stops, airports, train and bus stations were on high alert. 

This was the first solid lead they had and they were  _ not _ letting him slip through their fingers.

They soon found him passing through a toll station trying to cross the Oakland Bay Bridge. The San Francisco Police Department, State Police, and FBI swarmed the area. 

Craig was arrested on eleven counts of federal kidnapping.

* * *

 

Craig was taken back to the local FBI field office in the early morning hours where he was held in one of their interrogation rooms. Agents Burke and Shaw briefed their team, along with the teams from the SFPD and State Police. All were working together to get as many eyes and resources on the case as possible due to the high number of victims. 

There was his photo taped to a whiteboard with other photographic evidence, including the car he was driving, his phone, a Glock 19, a large roll of duct tape, Rachael, the woman he was planning to abduct, and his other victims. 

Burke stood behind a podium, “Craig Raskino. Known pimp, drug and arms runner, known ties to multiple organized crime syndicates. It should be assumed that he is abducting these victims to pimp out. He refuses to tell us who he currently works for.” Burke passed around the cell phone picture of Craig, taken by the attempted victim, Rachael. 

“So he must be the low man on the totem pole if he’s doing pickups like this.” One State Trooper clarified

“Exactly.”

"Part time gang member and pimp. Part time Uber driver. They've really caught up with the times." One cop half joked.

Shaw ignored the remark, “He’s insisting that he doesn’t work for anyone and killed them all.”

“And you don’t believe him.”

Burke answered, “He’s a lifelong gang member. Due to the sheer number of people, he’s using them for something. He’s working for someone. Our job is to figure out who. This could potentially bring down a large operation.”

“Have you offered him a deal?”

Burke looked at the local detective like he was insane, “Of course. He isn’t taking the bait. Whoever’s pulling his strings must have power.”

Burke and Shaw were going to attempt to question Craig again and commanded the others to look into his past and his contacts, find who he was working for.

They strided back into the interrogation room. There were brown cinder block walls with no windows and florescent lights with just a metal table and 3 chairs. Burke took off his black suit jacket and hung it over the back of the metal chair opposite of where Craig was sitting, cuffed to the table.

“So, you going to tell us where all these people went? Who you work for?” 

Shaw slide photos of each victim out of a manilla folder and neatly put them in a line across the table in chronological order. 

Craig held firm, “I already told you. I killed each of those motherfuckers.”

He wasn’t going to flip on Diavolo.

Burke towered over him, “You know that we don’t believe you, Craig. You always work for someone. Who is it this time?”

“What did you do? You sell them?”

“If you’re afraid to rat on them. We can protect you. Offer you a real nice deal, depending on how well you cooperate, what you know.” Burke made firm eye contact.

Craig sat back as much as he could with cuffed hands, “I don’t know anything. I killed them all.”

The agents knew they had a long night ahead of them.

* * *

 

Shaw took a disgruntled breath and paced around the metal table, “So, let’s say we believe you. That you took it upon yourself to kidnap and kill each of these people.”

“Cause that’s what I did!” Craig pounded his cuffed wrist on the table.

“Well, then how did you do it?”

“What?”

“How did you kill each of them? A pro like you would remember  _ everything. _ ” She motioned for him to explain, “So go on, tell us how you killed each victim. Spare no detail.”

Burke pointed to Gabriella’s photo, “Let’s start at the beginning. The first victim, Gabriella Hernandez. Owner of a thriving psychiatrist practice, a wife and mother. Tell us  _ exactly _ what you did to her. Every detail.”

He paused for a few moments, thinking of a story. “I picked her up coming from some apartment. She was an easy take because she was completely smashed. Took her to the woods, shot her brains out. Burned her body to get rid of the evidence.”

Shaw and Burke immediately knew his story was complete bullshit. Firstly, his body language became closed and distant. He wouldn’t look them in the eyes, instead looking off towards the left, a sign of lying, and that he paused before telling the story. Like he was thinking of what to say next.

Normally when serial killers finally told the gory details they spared nothing, telling every single horrifying detail. He told as few details as possible. Serial killers normally took a sadistic joy in recounting their kills. Relishing the horrified reactions it got from law enforcement and their victiim’s families. Craig sounded like he was recounting his morning coffee run. 

On top of it all, it was factually inaccurate.

Burke nodded as he paced the room, “So you’re telling us that you set a fire in the California wilderness during fire season and it did  _ not _ become a raging inferno?”

Craig realized his mistake, “I made the fire somewhere else.”

Shaw got in his face, “You’re forgetting something pretty important, Craig.” He looked at her, wondering what she meant. “Gabriella wasn’t abducted from an apartment complex. She was coming home from a bar after having a night out with some friends. According to them, she was only mildly tipsy, not completely drunk.” 

Burke sat back down as Shaw sat back in the chair, “So, we’ll ask again. What did you do to her?”

Craig sat back, knowing he was caught in a lie.

“We can offer you a good deal, depending on how much you know.”

“...I talk and I’m fucking dead.”

Shaw and Burke looked at each other a small smile. They knew they were getting somewhere.

“We’ll ensure that doesn’t happen. Now talk.”

“Witness Protection.”

“We’ll discuss it with our boss and the federal prosecutor. I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out. At least protective custody in prison with mimized time.”

Craig took a deep breath and leaned in, “His name is Diavolo…”

* * *

 

Burke and Shaw quickly briefed the team back in the conference room, “His name is Anthony  Moltisanti. AKA Diavolo. The head of a vast crime ring, has a lot of loyal people working under him, including Craig. He normally trafficks drugs, weapons, and people.”

As Burke spoke Shaw brought up a satellite image of a gated mansion. “Craig was supposed to make a ‘delivery’ to one of Diavolo’s houses today. Apparently this is his main house.”

“How many houses does he have?” An agent asked

“According to Craig they are spread across the west coast, as far as Vegas.” Shaw answered

Burke took over to explain their plan, “Craig said that he keeps people at his houses, including this one.” He pointed to the screen, “Although he doesn’t know how many are still alive, he never sees them after he drops them off. We have more than enough from Craig to make a solid case. So we are going to take SWAT to seize the property, arrest Diavolo, any men working for him, and hopefully we can save whoever he may be keeping there.” If they pulled this off they would not only be taking down a kidnapper that has made national headlines, but taking down a vast drug, weapon, and human trafficking ring that they didn’t really know existed.

* * *

 

Richard couldn’t even comprehend everything that had happened as he and Summer continued running through the property along the fence, trying to find a weak part to crawl under. They soon heard the loud sharp barks from rabid hounds echo around them. Timmer and a couple others followed the hounds who were following their scents. He had his trusty Glock in hand, hoping to corner them.

Diavolo and some of his other henchmen were the house scrubbing all traces of evidence. They packed up the weapons and drugs they had yet to sell, along with all their cash, set fire to their computers and records. They warned other houses to do the same, as well as offload any hostages they may have, whether it be by sale or murder.

Richard and Summer stumbled to a stop when they realized they had reached the corner end of the property. They fell to their knees trying to find a weakness in the fence, they heard the hounds rapidly approaching and they no closer to a way out. The fence wouldn’t budge. They didn’t have time to dig their way out and there was nowhere to hide. They stopped and looked at each with pure desperation and sorrow as the realization hit them.

They were trapped.

They weren’t getting out of there alive.

As the hounds got louder and louder Richard let out a small apology, tears making tracks down his blood, sweat, and dirt stained face, “I’m-I’m so sorry.”

She rubbed his shoulder giving a consoling smile, she couldn’t control the tears, “It’s okay. We knew the risks. They were going to do it anyway.”

They accepted their fate.

“Does...does...does it hurt? Dying.”

“Quicker than falling asleep.” Summer looked up with a tearful smile, “Look.” She pointed up, “The sun’s coming out.”

Richard looked up and saw the sun peeking through the morning clouds and trees. He heard the hounds closing in on them. They felt the sun on their faces for what they knew was the last time. 

“Just keep looking at the sun. How beautiful it is.” Summer took his hand. 

They looked up towards the sun. Squinting in it’s bright light.

‘ _ I guess a bullet to the brain is peaceful in its own right. Maybe my body will be discovered and Jared and the others will have some sort of closure.’  _ He let the sun shine onto his dirty face, _ ‘You know, the sun is such a beautiful mystery. A big ball of heat and gas keeping our tiny planet alive for milenia. If this is the last thing I see...I’m okay with that. ’  _ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ready for the click and loud pop of a gun. Timmer’s men and bloodhounds surrounded them with their guns drawn. 

Except they never heard the bullet. Because there was none.

* * *

 

They were shoved back into the cellar without a word from Timmer or anyone with him. They hadn’t laid a hand on them.

The silent anger terrified Richard more than anything. He kept wondering when it was going to happen and how. He knew he was a dead man walking. It was only a matter of time. He just wanted it to be over.

He was ready for it to be over.

They also did not expect to see Gabriella sitting against the wall. Summer noticed that she was holding her stomach. 

Richard just gave her an apologetic glance, for he could never articulate his feelings about what happened.

His face turned to concern when he saw her hands turn crimson red. He carefully walked over and knelt in front of her. He gently moved her hand and his stomach fell. Her dirty short white dress was now covered in blood as well as sweat and dirt. He knew that wasn’t backsplatter from the bullet that killed Marie. It was too much, too concentrated. 

He knew they shot her too.

“You’re bleeding.” Richard immediately tried to find the wound and put pressure on it. He grabbed the first aid kit and frantically ripped it open. Only a few small pieces of gauze remained. He grabbed them and desperately started pressing them down on the wound in her stomach making her hiss and groan in pain.

He kept pressure on the wound, “You’re going to be okay. You’re going okay.” He tried to reassure her. 

She knew she was slowly bleeding out. She could feel it. She knew that she was going to die. It was a stomach wound. There was nothing he could do about it on his own, without urgent medical attention, it was lethal.

At first, she tried to prepare him for her death. She saw how deep his denial about the situation was. She put her hands over his, now covered in her blood, “It’s okay. Richard, it’s okay.”

“No it’s fucking not! You saved me! Now I’m going to save you! Pay it back!” He continued to press the soaking wet gauze to her wound through the cut in her dress. He was hyperventilating, tears free flowing down his face, “You’re going to be fine! You’re going to be fine! Just fine!”

She knew he blamed himself for all of this. She put her hands over his once more. Their eyes met, “It’s okay. It’s okay. We knew the risks. It’s not your fault.”

He applied more pressure to the wound, causing her to wince in pain, “You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.” He reassured her with ragged breath, “We’re in this together. We’ll get you through this.” He kept trying and failing to stop the intense bleeding.

Her heart shattered when he started muttering, “Not you too. Not you too. Not you too. No no no no no. NO! NO! NO!” He unstadly backed away, violently shaking, not able to get to his feet, and ran his hands through his matted curls as he continued to break down.  

She knew Richard was coming to terms with reality.

Gabriella knew they didn’t have much time left. She felt herself fading. She felt weak, her breath slow and shallow. “Listen. We don’t have much time.”

“Wha-no no no.”

She took a deep shaky breath, “Keep your head down, do what they say. Whatever keeps you alive. Remember the breathing exercises I taught you, that being negative will only hurt you, remember your goal. If you’re lungs are still breathing and your heart is still beating, you’ll be okay.” She racked her brain for anything else she needed to say. Richard knew what she doing. He looked at her with complete sorrow and desperation. He realized that putting pressure on the wound wasn’t doing anything. The wound was too deep. She needed urgent medical attention to have a shot in hell of surviving.

“ I promise you, however dark and scary the world might be right now, there will be light. I promise you, there will be light.”

The cellar door swung open which got the three’s attention. Diavolo stood with a couple muscular henchmen, and a young man with a sadistic smile.

“Here they are. You still want them? You’ve gotta hurry, I got to get the fuck out of here.”

“Yeah. I’ll take them. Only the white girl and the boy. Like we discussed. I’ve got enough Latinos.” He motioned for Diavolo’s men to grab Richard and Summer. “Take them.” 

Two men grabbed Summer who was kneeling next to Richard. She fought and yelled at them to fuck off, they easily overpowered her. Another two grabbed Richard, prying him off of Gabriella. His voice cracked as he screamed and thrashed, but it was no use. They were dragged from the cellar and into the control of Old Nick.

* * *

 

The Feds and SWAT swarmed the property in full tactical gear. Agent’s Shaw’s team took the interior of the property while Agent Burke’s team took the outer perimeter, including the cellar that Craig told them about. Burke’s team found Diavolo and his men destroying evidence and packing duffel bags full of cash. They called Shaw’s team down to help. Diavolo and his men put up a good fight but were soon arrested by Burke.

After Burke continued to search the area for anyone who could be held there with Shaw behind him. They quickly but cautiously walked down the dark stone corridors with their guns drawn. They came across an open steel door. They cautiously peered in with their guns still drawn. They saw an unconscious woman against the far wall, covered in blood.

“I NEED AN EMT IN HERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW!” He yelled out into the hallway where a couple Feds were leading out Diavolo and his men.

He pressed on her neck to take her pulse. “She has a pulse! It’s faint but still there.” He looked at her and squinted in thought, “Wait. I know her.”

Shaw took a good look at her face, “Hold on. I think I do to.” The realization hit them, “Holy shit! It’s her!”

They exchanged shocked looks, “It’s the first victim. Gabriella Hernandez.”

EMT’s rushed in, hoping to save her.  

Gabriella had to survive. She was the only one who knew that Richard and Summer were taken from the cellar alive that day and who took them.

If she died…

That knowledge died with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this was the storyline where I kept thinking, "Okay calm down, Satan. You're going all Thanos Snap, Red Wedding on this fic."


	19. What Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriella fights for her life. The Feds tell Jared and the others what they know about the Uber Kidnapper and his connections.

Alex ran into the hospital emergency room holding his seven year old son, Rafael. He grabbed the attention of the first nurse he saw, “I’m looking for my wife, Gabriella Hernandez! She was brought in here!” The nurse pointed to the attending physician and he ran over and repeated himself.

“Yes, she was brought in here. She’s in surgery now.”

“What happened!”

“She was brought in with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.” Alex’s stomach dropped and he held on tight to his son. “I’ll direct you to the surgical floor. One of her doctors will be out soon to update you on her condition. The FBI will be back as well to tell you what they know.”

Alex sat with his head in his hands as Rafael played on the floor with a toy truck. Alex was relieved that she was found alive, but scared shitless that she wouldn’t make it through surgery. He jumped up when he saw a doctor in a surgical gown walk towards him. He noticed the large amount of blood splattered on the gown.

“Mr. Hernandez?”

“Yes.”

“I am Doctor Fields. One of your wife’s surgeons.”

“How is she?”

“She was shot in the abdomen. The bullet hit an artery.”

Panic and fear overcame Alex, “What-what are you saying?”

“There was a lot of vascular damage. She lost a lot of blood. We managed to stop it for now. After there is a risk of infection, sepsis-”

“She’s a fighter though. She never gives up!”

“Mr. Hernandez, currently she is in a pretty weakened state. It’s a miracle she even made it to surgery. If there’s anyone else who should be here, they should get here now.”

His face dropped. “Can I see her?”

“She’s still in surgery. We’ll let you know as soon as she’s out.” He turned to go back into surgery.

“Doctor!” Alex called out

“Yes?”

He just remembered to ask, “Was she brought in alone?”

“Yes, she was.”

He sat back down and covered his face with his hands. He couldn’t handle losing the love of his life right after he got her back.

He called their parents who were trying to get there from Cuba. He didn’t know if the Feds had already contacted Jared about the Kidnapper getting caught, he had to tell him.

“Hi, Alex.”

He took a deep breath, “I don’t know if they told you yet...but...they got him.”

“What?”

“They got him. They found Gabriella. She’s in surgery now.”

He heard quick deep breaths, “Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!”

Alex quickly realized he should have led with finding her alone and all of a sudden felt a wave of guilt. That perhaps he shouldn’t have told him, even though he felt he should due to how they had gotten close since Richard’s disappearance.

“Jared, she was found alone.”

There was dead silence on the other end. He didn’t even hear breathing.

“The Feds haven’t properly filled me in yet, they’ll probably be here soon then fill everyone else in, then tell the press. I just thought you should know.”

“...Okay….thanks...for telling me. Can I come by?” Alex could tell that Jared was barely holding it together. His voice kept cracking as he spoke.

“Of course. See you soon.”

* * *

 

Jared ran down the hallway with Dinesh and Gilfoyle struggling to keep up. Jared stopped when he saw Alex.

“Have they talked to you yet?”

“Not yet.”

“What do you know?”

“Just that they got him. Gabriella was brought in alone, barely alive, with a gunshot to the abdomen. I haven’t even seen her yet.”

“Have you called them again?”

“Yeah, they haven’t responded. They’re probably talking to him now.”

The Feds were actually busy investigating the other houses Craig tipped them off about and trying to question Diavolo. They’d tell the families and the press once they had more answers for them.

Everyone knew it was the waiting game.

Jared and Alex anxiously paced the waiting room. Dinesh and Gilfoyle sat in silence.

They waited for something. Anything.

Minutes turned into hours.

No news.

No answers.

* * *

 

Finally Doctor Fields came into the waiting area. “Mr. Hernandez?”

Alex urgently stood up and walked over towards the doctor. “Yes.”

“It was touch and go but she is out of surgery.” Alex was overcome with relief, “She is far from being out of the woods. I wish they would have found her sooner. Although if they found her any later, she would not have made it this far.”

“Can I see her?”

“Yes, she’s in the ICU and still unconscious.”

He lead Alex and Rafael out of the waiting room. The others followed behind but stayed outside the room for privacy. A while later Alex invited them in. The nurses had cleaned her up a little but it was apparent she had been through hell. She had a black eye, numerous cuts and bruises, her broken ankle was wrapped up and elevated on a pillow. She looked dangerously underweight. She was on a heart monitor and multiple ivs.

“Mommy’s still sleepin’.” Rafael brushed the curly brown hair from his eyes and squirmed in chair he was sitting in and holding a toy truck. He was a picture of his mother. The guys exchanged a worried glance with Alex who informed, “She should have woken up by now.”

“The Feds should have been here already to tell us what the absolute fuck is going on. Things don’t happen when you want them to.” Gilfoyle folded his arms.  
They sat and continued waiting yet again.

It was all they could do.

* * *

 

By the afternoon the Feds had a better idea of what happened and who Diavolo really was and the extent of his ring. They had enough information they could start telling the victim’s families then the press about their case.

Agents Burke and Shaw knocked at the hospital room door.

“Hello. How is she?” Burke walked in front of Shaw into the room. Richard’s friends being there made them relieved because it was one less time they had to explain what happened.

“She’s hanging in there. What the hell happened?”

Shaw gestured towards the child, “How about we go somewhere private.” They nodded. A nurse showed them to a private sitting room used for consoling family members of dying patients. A simple room with a couple of chairs and a couple calming paintings.

They all took a seat with the agents sitting across from the men.

Burke took a deep breath before he began to slowly and calmly tell them what happened, “So as you now know, we caught the Uber Kidnapper early this morning due to a tip. His name is Craig Raskino. He worked for as a runner for crime rings most of his life.” He set a picture of him on the light wooden coffee table. The men looked at the picture closely. They preparing for the worst when they didn’t know what the worst was.

Even though nothing could prepare them for what they were about to hear.

The Feds knew that.

“For the last few years he has been working for the head of a large crime ring, Anthony Moltisanti. AKA Diavolo.” He set a picture next to Craig’s, “He made his money from drug, weapons and…” He took a deep breath, “human trafficking.”

Everyone’s stomachs and faces dropped in shock and horror, their heartbeats raced.

A barely audible, “No.” slipped from Jared’s lips. He put his hand up to his face to hide his horror. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t want to.

Dinesh turned his head and muttered, “I’m gonna vomit.”

Burke gave them a few moments to compose themselves before he continued.

“Diavolo paid Craig to bring him new people to turn out for profit.”

Jared felt like time was moving in slow motion. Like everything that was happening wasn’t real.

“The abductions were spread out because his network is spread out throughout the west coast and as far east as Las Vegas. Craig told us that he was at his house here, that’s where we found Gabriella and Diavolo.”

Jared interrupted, “Was he…?”

“No, he wasn’t there.” Burke shook his head, knowing who Jared was asking about. “We found Diavolo and his men….” He took another deep breath, “We found them destroying evidence and killing their hostages.” Jared gulped and looked downwards. He started fidgeting, anything to distract himself from what he was hearing. “The reason it took us so long to get down here was we were not only investigating the house we found him in but the others he operated. They were ordered to do the same. Get rid of evidence and hostages. They must have known they we were on their tail. Something we call ‘cleaning house’. Which explains why they shot Gabriella.”

Alex gulped, “They were getting rid of anyone who could go against them.”

Burke nodded, “Exactly.”

Gilfoyle clarified, “By, ‘get rid of’ you mean…kill.”

Burked nodded, “Yes. We...we found multiple bodies at the other houses and the house we found Gabriella at. Some older, some newer.”

Jared got up and started to pace. Unable to form a coherent thought. He couldn’t wrap his head around everything he was being told. His denial started to kick into overdrive. Everything was going in slow motion. He could barely hear what the agents were saying. His heart thrashed against his chest and his hot blood whooshed through him, overwhelming him.

They needed a clear, definitive answer, “So you think...Richard’s....dead?” Dinesh saying those words out loud for the first time made Jared feel like he was kicked in the stomach.

“Based on Diavolo’s actions, if he wasn’t dead already, then...he is now. Gabriella only made it this far because we happened to arrive in time.”

Little did they know, they arrived too late.

They didn’t know where exactly Richard was kept, for how long, or what exactly happened to him. Based on what they knew about Diavolo and how he mercilessly killed anyone as soon as they weren’t useful or who could talk once they were caught by the Feds. They assumed the worst. They knew that he wasn’t one to sell his hostages. It would be very out of character for him to do it.

“No!” Jared shouted. They looked up at him “NO! He can’t! This can’t-!” His pacing sped up as he rubbed his hands over his face. “NO! NO! NO! **_NOOOOOOO! HE’S NOT! HE CAN’T BE!_ ** ” He let out a throaty yell and tossed a light wooden chair across the room. He took a couple more deep breaths, letting out another throaty yell and tossing an end table to its side.

Jared took a couple breaths in a futile attempt to stop hyperventilating. He stopped pacing and almost collapsed into one of the generic wooden hospital chairs because his legs felt like jelly. He was shaking, his heart was racing, and his hands felt numb. His beat red face started violently sobbing and screaming, barely able to breathe. Agent Shaw tried to console him, he collapsed into her and sobbed into her standard issue FBI windbreaker until he exhausted himself and his sobs turned to whimpers.

 

Dinesh and Gilfoyle just sat there with blank expressions. Just trying to wrap their heads around it all.

Alex tried to calmly asked Agent Burke, “You did arrest everyone involved, correct? They will stand trial for what they did.”

That’s where things got a tad complicated, Burke took over and calmly explained to the men, “We got Diavolo and a couple of his men along with Craig. We offered him a deal in exchange for flipping on Diavolo. While we were driving over here, we received word that Craig was killed in prison. We suspect that Diavolo found out Craig ratted on him and had him killed.” After giving them a few more moments to digest everything, Burke spoke again, “I’m so sorry. I wish this had turned out better.”

Jared had finally calmed down and sat back in the chair. His red and puffy face fell and he looked dead in the eyes and face. His entire world was crumbling around him and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Nothing could have prepared him for this.

His strong denial kept surging through his head, ‘ _This can’t be happening. He can’t be gone. He can’t be gone.’_ He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

His entire world went up in flames. He felt like he lost _everything._

Because he had.

* * *

 

Richard hazely blinked into consciousness. He quickly realized his hands were bound in chains which jolted him awake. He notified through the darkness that the chains were attached to a bar on the wall slightly above his head. He frantically pulled on it to no use. He looked around at his new surroundings. An almost pitch black concrete room only a few feet across and a few feet wide.

“Hello? Summer? Anyone?”

When he only heard his echo speaking back to him he started having a full panic attack and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t calm himself down.

The one person who used to calm him wasn’t there anymore. He was cruelly ripped away from her. He thought she was dead. He remembered everyone who had died, how disasterly the plan went. Which only served to overwhelm him more.

He started screaming and sobbing. He scream cried so hard he couldn’t breathe and started dry heaving. He would have vomited if there was anything in his stomach. He was still covered in blood, sweat, and dirt, and his panic only made him sweat more. He uselessly thrashed against the chains as she screamed and cried. His screams bouncing off the thick cement walls.

Soon enough his energy depleted and his deafening wails turned to small whimpers. He heard the turn of a lock which got his attention, terrified of what was on the other end.

A large slender figure appeared in the doorway. Richard squinted at the light that poured in from the hallway outside. It was too bright for Richard to identify any features, but he did see a small smile on the man when he spoke.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is pretty heavy and depressing. You know what isn't? [My SV Disney themed Crack Video I just posted! Check it out to have a laugh! ](https://youtu.be/LEuB-bRC1aI) It's also posted [on my tumblr!](https://onequartercanadian.tumblr.com/post/177471855600/silicon-valley-disney-crack-vid-i-havent-made-a)


	20. Tell Me These Words Are a Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a change in Gabriella's condition. Everyone tries to wrap their heads around what the Feds told them about the Uber Kidnapper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm starting a graduate program and that, along with work and other life shit, recreational writing is going to be pushed down the priority list. I'm going to really try because I really want to write and post often but I can't make any promises. I've been able to write so much this summer because I was just working and didn't have anything else in the evenings or weekends.
> 
> Just hang in there, I promise I continue posting.Thanks so much! *offers hugs*  
> inspired by; Knocking on Heaven's Door; Raign, Tears of an Angel; RyanDan

Alex sat by Gabriella’s bedside, anguish filled his face as he held her hand. Their son was asleep on the hospital couch nearby. Alex was terrified of losing her right after he got her back. After the Feds spoke to them, Gabriella had been rushed back into surgery to stop a recurrence of internal bleeding from where the bullet was. He hoped and prayed that she would wake up soon. She hadn’t woken up before her second surgery. He was relieved that both of their parents should be there by the morning. They were flying in from Cuba, which still took a little more manuerving to achieve.

He felt her hand move and a small groan.

“Gabriella?” He rose and got closer to her, “Gabriella? Es mi Alma.” She squinted as she tried to open her eyes, “You’re in the hospital. You’re safe now.”

It took her a few moments to get her head together. She softly smiled when she saw her husband standing above her.

She groggily tried to speak, “A-a-al-alive. Al-alive.”

He smiled, “Yes, you made it, mi corazon. You’re strong like a bull.”

He had no idea what she was _actually_ trying to say.

“R-r-ric-ri...S-s-um-sum...” She weakly tried to grab his arm. He didn’t know what she was trying to do. Her weakened, trauma and drug filled brain couldn’t articulate full thoughts or sentences, but she knew what she wanted to communicate.

She needed to say that Richard and Summer were alive and she knew who took them.

He saw the amount of effort she was spending trying to speak. He held her hand, “Don’t try to speak, just rest. I’ll get the doctor.”

By the time Alex was back with the doctor she was out again.

The doctor gently checked her bandages and her vitals as she slept and deemed that even though she wasn’t out of the woods yet, she was doing well . He thought she could probably give her statement to the FBI the following morning or afternoon, depending on how she was doing.. They were obviously very eager to talk to her, needing to know what she knew as the only person they found alive.

Due to medications, Gabriella slept the entire evening. Alex never left her side. Late that evening he saw on his phone that they had released limited information to the media. As he read the headline, it still didn’t seem real to him.

**UBER KIDNAPPER CAUGHT, CONNECTED TO ILLEGAL PROSTITUTION RING**

He felt nauseous just reading the headline and didn’t bother to read the article, putting his phone down instead. A large male nurse knocked on the door.

“Hello.”

Alex looked up, “Hi.”

“I need to change some bandages and take a look at her wounds. Make sure their not getting infected. You should get a coffee or something.”

“Of course.” He motioned to his sleeping child but before he could say anything the nurse shook his head.

“No need to wake him.”

Alex was only gone a couple minutes. When he came back to the room it was full of doctors and nurses yelling commands and alarms blaring. His son was standing outside the room sobbing. He dropped his coffee on the floor and picked up his son, “What’s going on?! What’s happening?! Is she going to be okay?!”

“Sir please step back.” The nurse commanded as she assisted the doctors.

He noticed the large male nurse who he had just seen was no longer there. “Have you seen the nurse that was just here?”

“No one was just here.” The head female nurse answered as she handed a loaded syringe to the doctor.

“He was large, had to check her bandages.”

The head doctor and the nurse whipped their heads over towards him, “Due to the nature of her case, there are no male nurses on her care.”

Alex’s stomach dropped.

* * *

 

Jared, Dinesh, and Gilfoyle went back to Jared’s condo after talking to the Feds. They didn’t want Jared to be alone. Ever since his outburst at the hospital, he had been mostly silent. As soon as they got back, Jared went into his bedroom and shut the door. Dinesh and Gilfoyle, at a complete loss at what to do and still in shock themselves, just sat on his couch and started to drink. Gilfoyle lit up a cigarette.

They heard a loud banging on the door, Gilfoyle got up to answer it and Monica came charging in, “I heard they got him. What the fuck is going on and why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

She stopped and her face dropped when she noticed they looked like they’ve been hit by a bus.

Dinesh remarked drink in hand, “It’s been a day.”

Gilfoyle offered her a cigarette from the box and a lighter. She lit one and sat down next to them. Gilfoyle refilled his glass to the top with Pappy Van Winkle and handed it to her, “You’re going to need that.”

She was alarmed and confused. “What’s going on?”

They slowly told her what the Feds told them that afternoon. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She couldn’t form a coherent thought. "He's...dead."

"The Feds were certain enough to tell us that, yeah."

Jared emerged from his bedroom for the first time which caught everyone’s attention. He had his phone in his hand and his face was blank and white as a ghost. “Alex just called. Gabriella went into cardiac arrest….she didn’t make it.”

Everyone’s jaws dropped. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

“What happened? I thought she was stable.” Dinesh asked

“Apparently a male nurse came in, saying he had to check her bandages. Alex left to get coffee, when he got back she was in cardiac arrest. As it turns out, there were no male nurses taking care of her.”

Gilfoyle shook his head, “That’s no coincidence. He must have found out she was still alive and ordered her killed.” He refilled his drink, “Have they done the autopsy yet?”

“I...I don’t know.”

“I bet you they find a lethal amount of opioids. Commonly used in hotshots.”

“But...he’s in prison. He couldn’t have her killed.”

Gilfoyle leaned forward from where he was sitting on the couch and raised his eyebrows, “From everything we heard today about him, do you think prison would stop him from taking someone out? He’s done it before with that fucker, Craig. These people don’t fuck around. This is a real monster we’re dealing with.”

That was a good point.

Jared’s eyes scoured the room for a distraction. He couldn’t do this. He needed to get out. “I need..I need some air.” He couldn’t get out of the condo fast enough.

Monica turned her attention to Dinesh and Gilfoyle, “How...how’s he handling this? It’s a lot. Like.. _a lot._ I know how he feels about Richard.”

Dinesh put his empty glass on the coffee table, “After his outburst at the hospital and before this, he was just eerily silent. He had this sunken look on his face. Like he just lost his entire world.” He fiddled with the empty glass on the table in an attempt to distract himself.

“He said one thing from the time the Feds left the hospital till now. That he was waiting for them to find Richard alive.”

Monica lit another cigarette, “Well, he knows that’s not going to happen, right?”

Gabriella was the only one alive who knew that Richard was alive and who recently took him. 

That knowledge died with her. 

They knew that Diavolo killed anyone who wasn’t useful or could possibly talk to the Feds. With his recent hits on Craig and Gabriella, they had no evidence reason to believe that Richard was somehow still alive. All evidence and motives pointed to Richard being dead. They just couldn't find a body, which wasn't uncommon for a case like this. They assumed Diavolo's men disposed of it and the other bodies they could not find. 

Gilfoyle put his glass down on the coffee table and turned his attention to Monica, “I think deep down he knows that, but we’re talking about Jared here. He feels things more powerfully than most. Especially where Richard’s concerned. I think his adamant denial is the only thing keeping him from letting it all in. The only thing keeping him from a complete mental breakdown. Because I don’t think he can emotionally handle it all.”

Monica and Dinesh agreed with Gilfoyle. Because he had solid points. They knew how he felt about Richard. How intensely he felt it.

Monica took a puff of her cigarette before asking the question they were all thinking, “So...where do we go from here? What happens next?”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle were silent for a few moments, because they hadn’t the slightest idea. Dinesh took a guess, “I guess..we make sure that Jared doesn’t have a complete mental breakdown.”

“How do we do that?” Monica put her drink on the coffee table, “Should we try to get through to him at some point? That he’s not going to come back.”

“I have no idea. But you can only stay in denial for so long.”

Gilfoyle put out his cigarette on the makeshift ashtray, “If he ever moves from denial, I’ll be shocked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a whump writer getting their cake and eating it too. I can explore everyone dealing with this intense tragedy without actually killing him. In fact, hurting him more in the process (but we'll get there shortly.) 
> 
> These characters have a broad spectrum of emotional ranges, which is fun for a writer. From Jared's outwardly emotional, feeling everything intensely, especially where it concerns Richard. To Gilfoyle's *points to chest* "I'll keep all my emotions right here, then one day I'll die." Then everyone else falls somewhere in the middle. I'm really excited about the coming chapters and plotlines because I think it gets really interesting and intense (but in a different way that before).


	21. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and the other continue to wrap their heads around what the FBI told them. In the wake of the FBI declaring Richard dead, Laurie calls a meeting about the future of Pied Piper.  
> Richard makes a bold statement to his new captor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by; So Cold, Nikisha Reyes-Pile

The next morning, Gilfoyle was making coffee as Dinesh and Monica woke up.

“Hey.” He monotonically greeted as they made their way to the kitchen. He gave a mug of black coffee to Monica.

Dinesh waited for coffee, to which Gilfoyle dryly responded, “Make your own damn coffee.” He grabbed his mug and sat next to Monica at the table.

Dinesh noticed Gilfoyle pour some Bailey's in his coffee. He was about to make a comment when Monica said, “We have to do it.”

Dinesh started to make his own coffee, “What?”

“Turn our phones back on.”

They turned off their phones once they learned that the news broke because people wouldn’t stop calling and texting them. Kidnapped CEO of a very promising startup presumed brutally murdered. The Valley was all atwitter.

Monica turned on her phone to see about 30 missed calls and more missed texts and news notifications. Some from Laurie, wanting to discuss the developments and what it meant for Pied Piper. Of course she had her trademark careful monotone. She listened to a couple of the messages. They were from friends, Pied Piper employees, investors, former investors, and the press from tech blogs to the likes of CNN and Bloomberg wanting interviews with the higher ups, especially Dinesh as interim CEO.

“Hey, Dinesh. CNN and Bloomberg want to do an interview with you.”

“I’ll pass.” Dinesh took a long sip of his coffee before sitting down.

She sighed, “You should do it at some point. We’re going to need to talk about it to the press. There’s no avoiding it.” Dinesh groaned into his coffee as a response. “Where’s Jared?” 

“He hadn’t left his room since last night.”

“Should...should we do something?” Dinesh asked, “Bring him some food? Coffee? Try to get him to open the door.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Monica shrugged. Dinesh got up to make some more coffee and some toast.

Afterwards they stood near his door, “Hey, Jared!” Dinesh called out, “Can you open the door? We have coffee and toast. You should eat something.” He knocked a couple times.

No response.

They walked in anything to see if he was okay, “Okay, we’re coming in. Just for a second.” Their shoulders dropped when they saw him lying on the bed clutching one of Richard’s hoodies.

Dinesh set the plate of toast and mug of coffee on the table, “You should eat something.”

Jared just stared straight ahead. His eyes vacant, devoid of all emotion.

Monica and Gilfoyle looked at Dinesh like, ‘ _Okay, what now?’_

Since they didn’t know what else to do they just left. Hoping to try again later and get a better response.

No one knew what to do. Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Monica spent most of their time hanging out in and working from Jared’s condo. Because they knew he shouldn’t be alone. Even though Jared didn’t really leave his bedroom. Monica and Dinesh tried to talk to Jared about it a couple times but were met with his angry, steadfast, denial.

* * *

By some miracle they managed to get Jared out of the condo a few days after the news broke for a board meeting Laurie scheduled before shit hit the fan. When they walked into the Pied Piper office everyone looked at them with soft looks of sympathy. They walked into the conference room and closed the door before anyone could say anything.

Laurie was already sitting there ready to go. Everyone else took their seats around the table. “I originally called this meeting to discuss the exponential growth of Pied Piper in the short time since its launch and discuss upsizing. Although that has been pushed to the bottom of the agenda with the recent tragic revelations from the FBI.” She took a breath and nodded, “As I understand, the FBI believes Richard to be dead, is that correct?”

Jared let out a low and angry, “He’s not.” Giving her a look a daggers.

She turned her attention towards him, “What is your proof?”

Jared looked down and wrung his hands.

He didn’t have any proof.

Laurie turned her attention back towards the group, “When this tragedy first occured I said that Dinesh would take over as interim CEO until this is resolved, as according to Richard’s will. Well...even though this not the ending anyone wanted. It seems as though the case is resolved.”

They knew where she was going with this. “I would like to instate Dinesh as permanent CEO and move all company assets to him.”

“You can’t do that!” Jared protested, jumping up from his chair.

“I have control of the board. So yes, I can. Now sit back down.”

He pointed at her, “If you’re going on the wrong reasoning that Richard is…” he stopped, everyone looked at him to continue. Wondering if he would say the d word for the first time.

Dead.

He didn't say it. He couldn't say it.

“Then you can’t because he has me as his next of kin. To get the company, you’d have to go through me. You won’t touch a _single damn_ thing!” Jared stared at her as he sat back down. He was the executor of Richard’s will, so in the event of his death he would be responsible for distributing Richard’s assets. Although Laurie had a loophole.

“As I understand, Richard did not have any personal wealth or property.” She was correct, everything he had went back into the business. “The only thing of value he had was Pied Piper. I control the board. I can just fire him as CEO and instate Dinesh. Move all the assets that way. Rendering the will unnecessary. The company needs to continue as it experiences exponential growth and we need to move on. Show the public that the company is stable and instate a permanent CEO in the wake of the FBI declaring Richard dead. It is best to do this as soon as possible.”

"No. Wait. Just we need to wait." Jared interrupted

"For what?"

' _For them to find Richard.'_ Jared thought. "Just give them a little more time. They'll find him."

"As I understand they have valid evidence and motive to declare Richard legally dead, and they did so." Laurie argued, "It is tragic, but Richard is dead and we need to declare a new CEO. It is best to do it as soon as possible."

Nothing was ever personal with Laurie. It was always just business. This was purely a business move. Everyone knew that, but it was just a little hard to comprehend.

“I have 2 votes. Monica has one. Dinesh has one as interim CEO, and you have one.”

“I...I can’t.” Everyone looked at Dinesh, “I can’t. I can’t vote for this. It would directly benefit me. I can’t vote him from the company after everything I..I just can’t do that. Give my vote to someone else.”

Laurie nodded, “Conflict of interest, fair enough. Gilfoyle, you vote instead.” Gilfoyle raised his eyebrows in surprise, his arms crossed. “Alright, all for instating Dinesh as permanent CEO, moving all company assets to him, raise your hand.”

Jared looked around. Laurie raised her hand, which of course didn’t surprise him, but it did hurt. His heart shattered when Monica and Gilfoyle raised their hands.

Gilfoyle looked at him, his face softer than usual, “I’m sorry, but it’s over, Jared.”

Jared’s heart sped up, his breathing became erratic, “No.” He started to vehemently shake his head, “No. No. NO!” He jumped up and stormed out of the office. Everyone in the company intensely watching what was going on.

Everyone in the conference room was silent for a few moments until Laurie brought them back to focus. “Those in favor clearly won, so effective immediately Dinesh is permanent CEO of Pied Piper. Congratulations.” She extended her hand for a handshake.

Dinesh looked down and picked at an old scab on his palm. It felt so _wrong_ to him that he was “benefitting” from this tragedy because of how the will was written. He didn’t want the company. He wanted his friend back.

But unlike Jared, he knew that wasn’t going to happen.

* * *

“This is going to be so much fun.” The man walked into the room and slammed the door behind him. He turned on a small dim light on the ceiling. Richard squinted in the dim ivory light and saw more of the man. He was short with scruffy brown hair and slick facial features. Richard took it as a good sign that he wasn’t as muscular as Diavolo and his men, in a vain attempt that perhaps he couldn’t do as much harm.

_Oh was he wrong._

“I’m a friend of Diavolo’s. You can call me, Old Nick.” His voice thin and menacing. As he slowly came closer Richard noticed he gripped a metal hammer with a wooden handle. Richard’s breathing hitched and he closed his eyes. On one hand he feared the oncoming pain.

But mostly, he didn’t really care.

He thought that everyone that he had taken comfort, solace, and support from had been killed because of him, in front of him.

Right now he wished he was dead with them.

“I heard that you tried to run from Diavolo.” He kept swapping the hammer from hand to hand. “How about we fix that issue.”

Old Nick noticed the almost vacant look in Richard’s eyes. He normally had people squirming, screaming, and crying to let them go and not to hurt them. He loved seeing his captives fight, resist, slowly wither them down until there was nothing left of them.

Little did Old Nick know, the miserably failed escape attempt and its deadly consequences broke Richard more than anything Old Nick or Diavolo could ever do.

Richard was already dead inside.

He had lost everything.

Old Nick kept slapping the hammer against his palm for good measure. Hoping for a reaction, but Richard just looked down defeated. Old Nick bit his lip and sighed.

‘ _Fucking hell, Diavolo. You gave me an already broken toy.’_ He stood right above Richard, ‘ _This is going to be boring.’_

Richard looked up with the vacant stare, devoid of any substance, “Just kill me. Just get it over with already.”

Old Nick’s brows curled and he tilted his head in interest. ‘ _Hmm. No matter how broken. No one has ever asked me that before. Normally they will always beg for mercy or just became compliant. A new mystery to unwrap. Maybe this one will be interesting after all.’_

He knelt down, pinning Richard’s right knee flat to the concrete floor. He swung the hammer down onto Richard’s kneecap, causing him to scream out in intense pain. He heard his kneecap crack and snap into pieces. Old Nick swung the hammer a couple more times before finally stopping.       

“I’m in charge. I decide what lives and what dies.”   


	22. Losing Your Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinesh has to give a interview to Bloomberg as the new Pied Piper CEO. Just to show that everything with the company is still on track.  
> It doesn't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter but I didn't know how to elongate it. Others will be longer. Sometimes you don't need long chapters to tell what you want to tell.

The days immediately following the news felt odd for everyone at Pied Piper. Like they were in a sort of limbo. They didn’t know what to do or what they should be doing. Going back to business as usual sounded impossible and inappropriate after such tragic news. Although at the end of the day they still had a business to run that, much like a child, constantly demanded their attention.

Recently Bloomberg called and wanted an interview with Dinesh as the new CEO. He really didn’t want to do it but everyone knew it would be a good idea to reassure their users and developers that the company was still on track. Just say that everything was going to be okay no one had anything to worry about.

Pretty simple mission, right?

Wrong.

Emily Chang started with condolences and a couple softball questions. Asking how everyone was doing, how the company was, and where it was going.

Going into the meat of the interview, customer reassurance and new permanent leadership, she asked, “Pied Piper has really experienced exponential growth under your leadership, do you expect that to continue?”

“We’ve been very lucky to experience such growth since we’ve launched. We have a very good team.”

“Oh don’t be so modest. You’ve really taken the reigns to lead the company when it needed it.”

“I don’t deserve all the credit.”

She smiled, “Of course.” She moved on to another question, “Being permanent CEO in this period of growth must really be exciting.”

He knew what she was going for, just trying to showcase his leadership, but her poor wording really pissed him off.

Dinesh looked at her like she was crazy, “...Exciting? Fuck no. Do you think I _wanted_ this job? No. I’m sitting here as CEO because our previous CEO and our friend was _brutally murdered_ and this was how his will is written!”

Emily had a completely blank stare, like a deer in headlights. Dinesh continued, now unable to stop his angry emotional outburst, “He was kidnapped by some sick, piece of shit excuse of a person who was able to hack into Uber’s absolute shit security! Then _sold him like a fucking object_ to some other sick, sadistic psychopath who made him do unspeakable things before murdering him! And where was Uber during all of this? When _elevan people_ over _two fucking years_ were getting kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered using their service?! Claiming they didn’t have control of what their drivers did and claiming that they were working with the Feds! Well I call fucking bullshit on that! If they did something earlier than Richard would still be a-fucking-live! If they gave even a single shit they would have made sure something like this couldn’t even happen in the first place!”

He took a calming breath, “He most likely died bloody, scared shitless, and alone. Something _no one_ deserves. And that low life sick piece of shit will probably never tell us how it happened or when. He’ll probably never tell us where he buried Richard’s body.” He gulped as the realization hit him, “...We’ll probably never get to bury our friend.”

It was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

“This is just, bullshit. It’s all bullshit.” He unclipped the mic from his blue sweater and dropped it on the desk before storming out of the studio and headed straight to his car.

* * *

 

When Dinesh got back to the office, Monica was chatting with Gilfoyle.

“How was the interview?” Monica asked

Dinesh’s mouth dropped, “...Umm...they most likely won’t be inviting me back.”

“Why?”

“I kinda fucked it up and lost my cool a little bit.”

“Oh I have to see this.” Gilfoyle remarked

“How bad is it?”

“If we get an angry call from someone at Uber, I’ll know why.”

Monica’s eyebrows rose. Gilfoyle remarked, “Oh, I _really_ have to see this.”

“When does it air?”

“Noon.”

“And we can’t stop it from airing?’

“Probably not.”

She took a deep breath, “Alright, I’m going to get started on possible damage control.” She walked off to the conference room to work.  
Dinesh called out in all seriousness, “I meant everything I said.”

* * *

 

Just before noon everyone gathered around a large monitor in the office to watch Dinesh’s interview. Gilfoyle and Monica didn’t even try to get the employees to not watch it, they knew they would. Dinesh sat in his office alone, pretending to do work, knowing what was to come.

Jared couldn’t bring himself to go into the office yet. He just needed time.

 

Monica turned to the interview they sat back, wondering how it was going to go.

It started pretty well, although they knew it wouldn’t last.

When they reached Dinesh’s outburst, Monica and Gilfoyle’s faces dropped.

After they saw Dinesh storm off the set and they wordlessly go to commercial. Monica turned it off and they turned to Dinesh with dropped jaws. Nobody moved. Everyone was frozen in shock.

Dinesh managed to put into words what Monica and Gilfoyle had been feeling since they found out what happened, but were unable to put into words.

Dinesh pretended to be busy with work and not look out into the office where everyone was staring at him.

Jared happened to have Bloomberg on at home as he cleaned his condo in an attempt to occupy his hands and mind. He needed time to think. He turned it off as soon as he could. He couldn’t listen to it. Dinesh’s direct honesty was too much for him to handle. Especially since he was still in steadfast denial of Richard’s death.

Everyone, including the Feds, saw Diavolo as the end of the story.

Except Jared.

Jared still believed that Richard was alive somewhere. He thought that Diavolo was just a lead. A large significant lead, but a lead nonetheless.

He just had to figure out where it went.

Even if he had to do it by himself.

He knew where to start.

The source.


	23. Real VS. Bullshit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They see the reactions to Dinesh's Bloomberg outburst. Uber puts out a statement about the Kidnapper. Dinesh and Gilfoyle try to stop Jared from doing stupid pretty stupid and possibly dangerous.

Richard hazily woke, his knee was screaming in pain. The fog cleared from his mind again and he remembered where he was and what happened. He tried to move his knee and bend it but it only made the pain exponentially worse. His mobility was completely shot. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When Old Nick left after Richard passed out from the pain he turned off the small source of light in the cell, throwing the room into almost complete darkness. 

He rested his head against the concrete wall. It didn’t matter if his eyes were open or closed because he couldn’t see shit in the darkness. His hands were still chained above his head were starting to ache and cramp. 

The survivalist part of his brain kept telling him, ‘ _ Stay awake! Stay alert! He could be sitting in that corner over there and you wouldn’t even know it! Stay alert!’ _

Another part of him said, ‘ _ Does it even matter anymore? Everyone you care about is dead. I wouldn’t put it past that sick fuck to kill everyone on the outside that you give a single damn about.’ _

He couldn’t escape the voice that kept telling him, ‘ _ This is all your fault, Richard. Everyone who is dead, is dead because of you. You killed them, Richard. What deluded you into thinking you could  _ **_actually_ ** _ escape him?...You deserve what you’re getting. You deserve this.’ _

_ “ _ No no no no no.” He threw his head back and struggled in the chains. Once he stilled he noticed something about his new brand of hell.

The cell was silent. Deathly silent. The kind of silence that would soon drive a sane man mad.

‘ _ But you’re not sane. Are you, Richard?’ _

_ ‘No, I’m not.’ _

_ ‘That abyssal excuse for an escape. What did it cost you?’ _

_ ‘Everything.’ _

* * *

Dinesh kept his head down for most of the afternoon. Monica was keeping an eye on the response to Dinesh’s Bloomberg interview which quickly went viral. She was shocked by the response it was getting.

It was overwhelmingly positive.

Monica knocked on Dinesh’s clear office door. “I’m busy.”

“I need to talk to you about the response to your interview.”

“I told you. I’m busy.” He gave her a death glare.

She opened the door, “You’re going to want to see this.”

She walked in and set her laptop down on the desk. She started scrolling through different tweets and articles. “People are really responding to your interview. In a really positive way.”

Dinesh looked at her in complete shock and looked for himself. Gilfoyle wondered what was going on so he walked in and stood near the door as well as having something to tell them.

Dinesh looked at him in shock, “It didn’t fuck us.”

Monica informed, “People really connected with you. It was obvious that everything you said was genuine. People connected to you as a person, to your anger. It wasn’t one of those dry, insincere, carefully crafted company lines.”

“You mean what I was suppose to say.” He gave her a dirty look. 

She looked down and bit her lip, “Yeah, that.” Monica looked back up and showed him some more news articles and tweets, “Family of murder victims have especially connected with this. Even sharing their stories.” She read a few out loud, “My friend was murdered 25 years ago. It gets easier with time but I will always miss him. Hang in there! My sister was murdered 5 years ago. They still haven’t caught him. My husband was killed in a hit and run 3 years ago. Hearts out to Pied Piper.”

The three looked each other in a relieved shock for a few seconds before Monica finished, “Our usership is up. Like,  _ way up _ .” Dinesh’s brows raised,

“Wow.”

Gilfoyle finally spoke up, “Speaking of real emotions versus bullshit apologies. Take a look at this shit.”

Gilfoyle walked up to Monica’s laptop and pulled up an ad. “Uber finally put out a statement.”

Needless to say, they were eager to see how this went.

They played the ad. It started with their CEO talking in their offices, “Hi. I’m Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber…”

Dinesh commented, “He has a really punchable face.”

Monica agreed, “I met him before at a function. He’s like that in person too.”

“...We changed the way people get rides. Provided new opportunities.” There were stock videos of happy drivers and passengers, “We never want customers to worry when getting into an Uber...”

“The ship sailed for that _ long ago _ .” Monica bitterly spat.

“...We are committed to bringing you the best and safest ride possible. You’re going to see improvements in better pickups and ride quality for both riders and drivers. One of our values as a company is to always do the right thing.”

“Bullshit.” Gilfoyle said.

“And if we ever fall short, we are committed to to being open, taking responsibility for the problem and fixing it...”

“ _ Eleven  _ people were abducted and murdered over  _ two years _ . You barely did anything except blame the guy. That’s not what I call “falling short”. That is a nuclear fuck up.” 

“...Our commitment to safety continues in our new security features. Including sharing your ride and location with trusted contacts like friends or family, calling 911 from the app, and enhanced driver background checks.”

“Because the first thing kidnappers never demand is your phone so you can’t call for help.” Sarcasm dripping from Gilfoyle’s monotone voice.

“You should have done this years ago, asshole.” Dinesh said

“And it still doesn’t guarantee that it’s going to work.” Gilfoyle responded

“...We are paving an even better road for Uber and committed to our users who rely on us everyday.” 

Monica closed the tab and groaned, “I wanna vomit.”

“Compared to us, how is their response?” Gilfoyle had to know.

“Hold on.” Monica did some quick research, “Not good. People are having more or less the same reaction as we did. The best reaction is apathy.”

“Like Facebook after Cambridge?” Gilfoyle asked

“Yeah.”

The ad had a real, ‘We’re angry too but it wasn’t our fault. It was the other guy’ vibe to it. People picked up on it. That it wasn't genuine.

Monica remembered to ask, changing the topic slightly, “Hey, have you seen Jared today?”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle thought for a few moments, “Umm, no.”

“I just worry about him. How he’s handling all this. Or lack thereof. I can hold down things here, could you two go make sure he was okay.”

* * *

 

They agreed and first went to check Jared’s condo. They found him in the garage walking out to his Volt. They got out of Dinesh’s Tesla and ran up to him.

“Jared, where are you going?”

Jared clicked his key fob to unlock the car a couple feet away, “I had to think for a while. I need to get answers. This is the only way I know how.”

“What are you talking about? Where are you going?” Dinesh was confused as was GIlfoyle.

“To the prison. I need to talk to Diavolo.”

Their jaws dropped as Jared got in his car and started it. Dinesh ran after him and called out to Gilfoyle, “We need to go with him. Because Jared’s going to kill him!”

Gilfoyle called from hanging over the Tesla’s front passenger door, “And that’s a bad thing?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fic does require a good degree of research. Fun fact. I did not make up that Uber ad. I took it //almost word for word// from their [Moving Forward ad campaign](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l5vGcuhtaQ) they did in the Summer of 2018 to apologize for driver on passenger violence and sexual assault allegations. I noticed their new 'safety features' when I updated the app early this summer to get a ride. As soon as I saw that made a mental note to bring those up in the fic. These features were mentioned in a [second ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx2GrpJZVcg) then the one I used. What a coincidence.


	24. Sent to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared questions Diavolo in prison.

There was relative silence on the ride to San Quentin State Prison. Gilfoyle texted Monica and told her that they weren’t going to be back any time soon.

_Why not?_

_Jared’s doing something stupid and we have to make sure he doesn’t end up doing twenty to life._

_Fuck. What is he doing?_

_We’re driving up the the prison. Jared wants to see him. Says he needs answers._

There was a long pause before Monica’s next response.

_Are you and Dinesh going to see him too?_

_What?_

_Do you want to see him too?_

_Doubt Dinesh does, too scared. I on the other hand, have no desire to see that rat faced piece of shit._

There was another long pause before Monica’s next reply.

_Do you think he’s actually going to tell Jared anything?_

_Fuck no! This will end terribly. Worst case scenario they’re both dead, best case scenario, they both live and Jared breaks._

_And we’ll have to pick up the pieces. Again._

_Exactly._

_There was no way to stop him?_

_No._

_Umm. Good luck. See you tonight. My place?_

_Yeah. Sounds good._

Gilfoyle put his phone back in the pocket of his black jeans. Dinesh who was sitting in the back, finally broke the silence,

“What...what are you trying to get out of this. What do you mean by ‘answers’?”

“I need to know what happened.” Jared didn’t take his eyes off the road. His shoulders tense and his hands stiff.

Dinesh leaned in from the back seat, “We already know what happened. Do you think hearing it from him will make it any better? If he says anything at all?”

“He’ll talk. I know it.” His voice softened to almost a whisper, “He has to.”

* * *

 

The drive was just under two hours but it felt like an eternity to the men. Gilfoyle asked Jared, “You going to kill him?”

“I’m going to talk to him.”

Gilfoyle rolled his eyes, “Too bad. You could get very creative.”

Dinesh turned his attention from his phone, “What?”

“Other than the traditional knives or guns. There’s a lot of ways to take people out. Acid, for one thing. Heard hydrochloric acid or battery acid can corrode skin in seconds. If you just want to fuck him up military strength pepper spray takes forever to get out.”

Dinesh looked at Gilfoyle horrified. After getting his thoughts together he added, “That’s really fucked up, but I also heard that burns are one of the worst pains you can experience.”

It was.

Richard knew that first hand.

Dinesh and Gilfoyle went back and forth for a while offering ideas, getting more creative and fucked up as they went on.

“There’s suffocation. For some real fucked up hands on, literally, face to face murder.” Gilfoyle suggested

“You could come up behind them as well. A surprise attack if they’re bigger than you.” Dinesh said.

“Heard sleep deprivation would kill you.”  

“Yeah, but that’s not quick. How would you pull that off?”

“Easy, bribe a guard in the prison.”

“Could feed him to starving rabid hounds. Like Ramsey on _Game of Thrones._ ”

“That was so gruesome...I loved it.”

“Could cut off body parts limb by limb until they bleed out.”

“No, they’d bleed out too fast.”

“Not if you started with fingers and toes.”

“I still think they’d probably bleed out too fast for it to be effective as a long drawn out death.”

“Could bury him alive. It’s suffocation with a hell of a lot more terror.”

“Going back to what you said about acid, what about pouring bleach on him.”

“What about Daenerys’ brother who wanted the golden crown?”

Gilfoyle’s eyes wided, “Yes. Molten metal poured over their head.”

“Tie them down and electronic him.”

“Seal him in a small tank and have it slowly fill with water. Have it take about two hours or so to finally fill up so they know they’re going to drown but they can’t do anything about it. So the panic really builds.”

“Could give him a thousand paper cuts. Then pour salt and vinegar into them.”

Jared interrupted their back and forth banter, still focused on the highway ahead of him, “You should tie him down, flay his skin to show the muscle. Take a small blow torch and cook the muscles, till they’re well done or he’s next to dead. Start with where he has the most muscle. Poke the muscle with tiny pins until you have tens or even hundreds there. Finally, tell him you’re going to put water on the burn to calm it down, instead you pour battery acid. Finally, slice his dick and balls off for good measure. Put him through more pain he put Richard through.”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle silenced in shock and stared at Jared with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Their jaws on the floor.  
“You’re one dark motherfucker, Jared.” Dinesh sat back.

* * *

 

They finally reached San Quentin State Prison in the late afternoon. They parked in the designated spot for visitors. Jared got out of the car and looked at Dinesh and Gilfoyle to see if they would come with him.

“You going to get out?” Gilfoyle asked

“When you do.”

“You too scared to get out alone.”

Dinesh got defensive, leaning back and lightly folded his arms, “I’m not. You are.”

They both sat there staring at each other for a solid few moments before Jared knocked on the widow and asked, “Are either of you coming in?”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle looked at each other before GIlfoyle mocked, “I need to babysit scared little Dinesh. Make sure he doesn’t panic.”

He just really didn’t want to see Diavolo.

Neither did Dinesh for that matter. They were both way too scared to go in.

Jared didn’t think much of the excuse and continued on into the prison. He checked in with the front desk. It was clear to him that the lady working there wasn’t having a good day due to her demeanor. He figured she could have pulled a long shift, or that she was working in a federal prison.

Next he went through security which was more like the airport screenings. He heard loud buzzes of electronic doors opening and them being slammed closed. He was brought into a small meeting room enclosed in bars on most sides and a cinderblock wall on the other.

He sat down as he waited for Diavolo. He couldn’t stop bouncing his foot. He tapped his fingers on the metal table.

Then he finally saw him.

The man he accused of killing the love of his life.

The first noticed the muscles on him. They weren’t well defined, but much like the Uber Kidnapper’s, most definitely there and utilized like a bodybuilder. He most certainly had weight to his advantage.

A part of his brain told him, ‘ _Poor Richard didn’t stand a chance.’_

Next he noticed his large face.  He looked like he could kill you with his no nonsense bitchface facial expression alone. It struck fear down to Jared’s very core.

‘ _Regain your composure, Donald. You can’t break in front of him.’_

_‘That’s probably what Richard thought.’_

_‘Stop! Focus! Get your head in the game!’_

His thought was interrupted when Diavolo sat across from him.

“Who are you?” He didn’t really know who Jared was or why he was visiting him. He threatened so many people on a daily basis to their faces and behind their backs. It was hard to remember them all.

Jared, with regained composure, pulled up a picture of Richard on his phone. “Craig gave him to you. His name is Richard Hendricks.” He subtly took a breath, “The Feds are charging you with his murder.”

Diavolo looked at the picture and smiled.

“So you remember him.”

Of course Diavolo remembered him. He knew exactly what he did with Richard.

Of course he wasn’t going to say anything that would give it away.

Although he would have a little fun.

“I didn’t think he’d make it as long as he did. A underdog story of sorts.” He chuckled, “He was a good worker. Made me a good deal of money.”

‘ _Did? Made? Was? Past tense? No. Get that out of your head. Don’t let him in your head. You know how to do this, Donald. Block him out. Don’t let him in.’_

_‘Don’t let them in your head. That’s probably what Richard thought.’_

_‘Stop!’_

“Why are you here?”

“Tell me what you did to him.” Jared coldly demanded. His composure calm as a sea after a storm.

Diavolo pointed and smiled, “I remember you now. You’re Jared. Richard’s boyfriend.”

Jared stopped. His stoic composure crashed into shock. He was about to say something when Diavolo continued with a sinister smirk, knowing he was getting to Jared,  “He needed a little extra _persuasion_ to work for me. So I told him that I would find the person that he cares about the most.” He sat back and folded his arms, “The pure terror on his face...was palpable.”

Jared gritted his teeth and subtly balled his fist in and out. Diavolo noticed. He knew he was really getting to Jared now, just as he had gotten to Richard. “So I had my guys find out who you were and followed you. Once I showed him your picture and threatened _you_ . He became _an obedient dog_.”

 _‘Don’t let him in, Donald. Don’t let him in. Block him out. Block him out.’_ He took a few deep breaths and balling his fists in and out. Jared maintained intense eye contact.

Diavolo let out a small huff of laughter before leaning back in, “And that was _after_ I let my guys loose on him. _Oh did they do a number on him._ ” His evil smirk returned, “You know, once they come to me. They are forever changed. You should have heard his deafening screams and pleas when my men were taking turns on top of him.”

Jared couldn’t do it anymore.

His brain could even register what was happening as he jumped up and hurled himself at Diavolo. He didn’t hear himself screaming, or feel his fists repeatedly beat Diavolo’s face to a bloody pulp, one fist after another. He kept hurling punch after punch. Keeping himself on the ground to keep punching as he felt guards trying to pry him off of Diavolo. He managed to get a couple more punches in before the guards finally pried him off and started pulling him out of the visitor’s room.

“WHERE DID YOU TAKE HIM? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM?” Jared screamed

Diavolo, with some help of some guards, sat back up on the metal bench. His face red with blood and swollen to twice its size. Bits of blood had gotten into his thinning brown hair and onto the orange prison jumpsuit. His reply was simple and to the point.

“I sent him to hell.”

By hell he meant Old Nick. Except most people would think that would mean Diavolo killed him.

* * *

 

Jared was escorted out of the prison. Dinesh and Gilfoyle were standing outside of Jared’s Volt. Their concerns raised when they saw he was being escorted out by a couple of guards who stopped at the gate and Jared continued to the car by himself.

As Jared got closer they noticed his hair was messed up, his face was covered in sweat, and his knuckles were bruised and bloody.

“What the fuck!?” Gilfoyle’s concern raised

“Shit, did you actually kill him?” Dinesh gasped

Jared looked how he looked the day the Feds told them they thought Richard was dead. Like he had just lost his entire world. His voice low and absent, “He said he, ‘sent him to hell’.”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle faces fell.

Jared stood there for a couple moments, frozen, before he completely lost it.

He fell to his knees and started screaming and sobbing. He started violently shaking. He couldn’t hear anything. Time seemed to be going in slow motion again. He screamed and sobbed so hard he couldn’t breathe. He screamed until his couldn’t anymore. Dinesh and Gilfoyle were gathered around him, exchanging worried glances both wondering the same thing.

_What the fuck happened?_

_What do we do now?_

* * *

 

Gilfoyle let himself into Monica’s apartment late that evening. They had gotten together around New Years when they drunkenly went home together after the office New Year’s party. They claimed to have a purely physical relationship, but she still gave Gilfoyle a key to her place. Claiming if he ever wanted a night away from Dinesh he could come there. He normally spent most nights there and they left for work together in the morning.

Monica had taken on a higher role in the company in the past few months. First she picked up the slack from Jared. After Pied Piper launched and started gaining real steam she also took on the duties of a CFO, more or less leaving Bream Hall permanently.

Monica’s apartment was a spacious one bedroom, elegant yet simple and modern. She had a sharp black and white color scheme with pops of color. She was cleaning up the open plan marble kitchen as Gilfoyle grabbed a glass from her white cabinet, filled his glass with half drunk bottle of whiskey he brought, and collapsed on her black couch.

“So I can tell the outing went well.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice. She walked over towards the black wooden coffee table and fished a cigarette and a lighter out of her bag. She lit a cigarette, “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Monica had a reason for her question, gesturing to the almost empty bottle on the black coffee table, “I was with you when you bought that bottle this morning.”

“And your point?” He took a long sip of his drink. His sharp tone made Monica wonder if she should push the issue or not. Since the Feds told them about the Uber Kidnapper it was rare not to see Gilfoyle with a hard drink in his hand. On the other hand, it was hard not to find Dinesh hard at work and Jared locked away in his bedroom.

She offered him her cigarette, “Just saying. Easy there, cowboy.”

He took a puff before giving it back to her, “I’ll be fine.”

“What happened today?”

“Dinesh and I didn’t go in, so the details are a little uncertain. Jared came out disheveled with bloody fists. Probably fractured hands with how bloody they were. He probably punched the shit of that fuck. Jared said that he "sent him to hell.”

Monica took the cigarette from her lips and sighed, letting out a puff of smoke, “Oh shit. How is he now?”

Gilfoyle finished off his drink and refilled it, finishing off the bottle, “After he came out he collapsed near the car, shaking, screaming, sobbing. Whole nine yards.”

“Aw, fuck.”

“Yeah. Once he tired himself out he just became vacant. Dinesh drove us back.”

“Is Dinesh with him now?”

“Yeah.”

“Why aren’t you there with him? He’s your friend too. We’re all having a hard time, but he’s _definitely_ affected the most. We need to be there for him.”

Gilfoyle was quiet. He took a sip of his drink. Then another. He finished off the drink, putting the glass on the coffee table. He got up, “I’m going to shower. Are you going to join me?”

Monica had her answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure I'm not the only one who really wanted to punch Diavolo in the face...and Jared had an opportunity (maybe not the best timing, but hey, he's going through a lot of shit.


	25. A Soldier I Will Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinesh and Gilfoyle go to a pretrial hearing when they have a surprise visitor. Jared asks an old friend for a favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by; Angel with a Shotgun; The Cab.

Monica and Gilfoyle went to Jared’s condo the next morning. Dinesh was sitting at Jared’s table hard at work on his laptop while eating some eggs with coffee, “He’s back in bed.”

Their shoulders fell and Monica groaned, “Again? He just started functioning in society again.”

“It’s worse because he’s locked the door. Won’t let anyone in.”

“Shit.”

“I knew that wouldn’t end well.” Dinesh shook his head

GIlfoyle glared at him, “Everyone knew that wasn’t going to end well. Don’t pat yourself on the back.” He walked into the kitchen to raid Jared’s cabinets.

Dinesh seemed to know what he was looking for, “He doesn’t drink.”

“I know.” He pulled a bottle of Baileys from the bottom cabinet near the sink where some cleaning supplies were. He stashed some here the last time they were camped out at Jared’s incase he needed it.

He grabbed himself a cup of coffee and added some of the Bailey's in with it while Monica made some coffee and toast. He sat down at the table with Dinesh and Monica to figure out where they went from here.

“He’s having a pretrial hearing today, I think. Anyone going to go?” Monica ripped a slice of toast in half and popped some in his mouth.

Dinesh sighed and took a sip of her coffee, “I want to, but I have so much work to do. We all do.”

“I just think that we should be there. You know. For him. Jared would want us to go too.”

“I’ll come next time.” Dinesh promised as he turned his attention back to his work.

“You should really go. Take Gilfoyle with you.”

“Why?”

“Because someone should go and they shouldn’t have to do this shit alone.” She death glared at Gilfoyle

His shoulders fell and his let out a sigh, “Fine. I’ll go.”

“Good. Dinesh you go with him. Your work can wait. I’ll hold down the fort from here.”

It seemed like they had a game plan for the day.

Like everyday. They took it day by day.

* * *

 

Dinesh and Gilfoyle were walking into the courthouse when Dinesh’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He picked it up, “Hello.”

It was one of their employees, Ashley, “Umm, I don’t know how to preface this, so I’ll just say it. The CEO is Uber is here, like in the conference room. He wants to talk to you and all upper management. Umm...what do we tell him?”

Dinesh was kinda shocked, yet he felt he knew why he was there. “Tell him to wait. We’re at a pretrial hearing.” He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.

“What was that?” Gilfoyle asked as they made their way to the courtroom.

“The CEO of Uber wants to talk to us.”

“And you basically told him to fuck off. Nice.”

They walked into the courtroom and took a seat towards the back. The courtroom looked like it was straight out of _Law and Order,_ except it had harsh fluorescent lighting.

Soon after they sat down Diavolo and Timmer were brought into the courtroom. Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s jaws dropped and eyes widened when they saw them. They had resting murder face. Diavolo’s face was still swollen from when Jared beat the shit out of him a few days prior.

Dinesh leaned over, “Who. Who’s the second guy?”

“The guy whose biceps are bigger than my head?”

“Yeah.”

“Right hand man, probably.”

“Poor Richard...”

“Yeah, he didn’t stand a damn chance.”

“There is no way he hell he could have defended himself against them.”

“I just hope when it did happen, it was quick.”

After the judge was introduced the proceedings started.

The defense attorney was an older bald man with a protruding stomach. He represented both Diavolo and Timmer, who refused to take any deals. He was Diavolo’s personal attorney, his fixer.

“Your honor, we are moving for an immediate dismissal of all charges.”

“And why is that?”

“The search and seizure of Mr. Moltisanti's property was illegal as they entered without a warrant.”

The young yet skilled prosecutor interrupted, “It was on its way. The Feds got the location from a credible informant, and rightly believing that lives were in danger, they had to act quickly. Mr. Moltisanti was arrested in the presence of multiple federal agents while he and his men were found in a dungeon destroying evidence of an elaborate crime ring and holding at least one woman hostage as a sex slave who was shot and later died in the hospital due to the defendants. Forensic evidence ties even more people to the dungeon, including Craig Raskino’s last victim, and multiple bodies were found on the premises-”

“Speaking of that, the multiple murder charges against my clients are superfluous. Where are all their bodies? Where’s the evidence?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you ask your clients?” The prosecutor bitterly spat

“Counselors.” The older judge interrupted which got their attention, “Behave yourselves in my courtroom.”

“Your honor, those are baseless charges, the state is trying to prove a point and stack on the charges. They do not have enough evidence to prove that he held and murdered all of Craig Raskino’s victims, let alone others.”

“Your honor, Mr. Moltisanti is a dangerous career criminal-”

“Then why isn’t his DNA in the system? These are baseless charges, the state is just out for blood. They got this information from a known criminal who just wanted to pin the blame on someone else.”

“This whole motion and reasoning is a complete overreach.”

“Alright, Counselor.” She thought for a few moments, “I’m rejecting the motion to dismiss all charges. We will proceed to trial...if we get there. We’re adjourned.” She pounded the gavel and got up to leave. Diavolo and TImmer were lead out of the courtroom by a couple of bailiffs. Dinesh and Gilfoyle went to speak to the prosecutor as he put some files back in his brown leather briefcase before leaving.

Dinesh got his attention, “He’s not going to get away with any of this, right?”

He turned around, it took a few moments to recognize them. “No, he’s not. I’m going to make sure of it. Everyone in his ring, especially him, are going to face the maximum time possible.”

Gilfoyle asked, “The judge said, _if_ you got to trial. What does that mean? Could he take a deal?”

The federal prosecutor took a breath, deciding what to tell them. Because these kinds of cases, even in the best cases, were hard to prosecute. They destroy evidence, coerce or kill witnesses. Many witnesses aren’t credible by trial standards or don’t want to work with the Feds because they are too scared or brainwashed by the pimps.

“A lot of cases end in a plea. It could happen.” It was a lot easier to say that than to explain the difficulty of the case to them. Even though he knew that Diavolo nor anyone else was going to take a deal.

* * *

 

Dinesh and Gilfoyle made it to the office where they had the CEO of Uber waiting. They were surprised to see him still waiting in the conference room after hearing that he arrived about two hours earlier.

Dara stood up to greet them with a handshake which the men refused. He nodded and got to business as they sat down.

“I just wanted to send my sincerest apologies about Richard-”

Gilfoyle cut him off, “Cut the bullshit. Don’t act like you genuinely care about Richard or anyone else who was taken, beyond just from a PR perspective. Because you don’t and we know it. We exactly know why you’re here. You want us to sign an NDA. Surprised it took you this long.”

Dara’s shoulders fell as he took a breath. He was already regretting his decision to talk to them about signing an NDA so they wouldn’t be able to sue them or talk about this to anyone. Uber had been in freefall, completely engulfed in scandal, since Craig had been found. His legal and PR departments had already spoken to the families of six victims about it. Three agreed to the NDA and took the cash payment and three filed wrongful death lawsuits. They weren’t worried about those suits because they knew those victims couldn’t afford a lawsuit that could drag on for years. They knew they’d eventually settle out of court.

Things were different with Pied Piper. They were a fast growing and thriving company with money to burn who actually understood how Uber’s tech worked. A company who, by sheer luck, won a suit against another large tech company just a few years earlier. They were worried about a possible multibillion dollar lawsuit.

Dinesh asked, “Do you know where we just came from?”

“What?”

“Do you know where we can from? Why we are so late. It wasn’t to fuck with you...well...mostly.” Dinesh folded his arms, “We came from a pretrial hearing for the pieces of shit who Craig worked for. Have you seen a picture of him? The ring leader? How about his henchmen?”

“No.” Dara meekly responded

“He could destroy you with his pinky.” Gilfoyle’s face was bitchier than normal.

Dara put his hands up defensively, “Again, I’m so sorry about your loss-”

“Stop. Just...stop. We’re well past your bullshit apologies. I know you must have seen my interview. You know how we feel about you.” Dinesh slightly shook his head, “He was a great coder with a lot of potential. Through all his flaws, to which there were many, he was still a good young guy who didn’t deserve this shit.”

They were all justifiably angry about what happened and needed someone to be angry at.

Luckily someone they could blame was sitting right in front of them.

Gilfoyle was brutally honest, “Let’s call it by what it is and not beat around the bush. Your security is so piss poor a five year old could hack it. Which enabled that rat faced fuck to _repeatedly_ abuse your platform. While you did _nothing_ . Eleven people were abducted, trafficked, and murdered. Because you _enabled_ it to happen.”

“Once we found out there was a problem we worked with the Feds to fix it.”

“Bullshit!”

Dara let out some honesty of his own, “We can’t control what users do on the platform! If they pass our background checks that’s not on us. You guys have a platform that needs a lot of users to work. You know you can’t control them!”

“Well we installed safeguards in place to ensure our users safety and our security was made by someone who actually knows what the fuck they’re doing. Also a five year old could get around your ‘background check’.” Gilfoyle defended

“I am truly sorry about Richard, Honestly. You’re placing blame on the wrong person. I didn’t have anything to do with any of this.”

Gilfoyle came up with an analogy, “You may not have pulled the trigger, but you’re just as guilty as they are. Because you allowed it to happen. You’re the bartender who didn’t take the drunk’s keys, allowing him to drive home and hit and kill a school bus full of children. Something that would not have happened if you had even an _ounce_ of competency.” His calm monotone had a sharp and angry edge to it that made Dara shiver.

There was silence in the conference room. No one knew what to say.

Dara got up to leave, muttering, “I’m..I’m sorry.” As he opened the door heard Dinesh turn around in his chair to remind him,

“Did you know that they only found _four_ bodies from Craig’s victims? Out of _eleven_. Counting Gabriella Hernandez who was killed in her hospital room.” Dara stopped but didn’t turn around to look at Dinesh, “Richard’s wasn’t one of them. The Feds will probably never find it or what exactly happened. And the odds of that piece of shit ever telling us what he did to Richard are slim to none… you know they issued his death certificate. Now we have to hope that that fucker spends the rest of his life locked away in a cell. Just like Richard did.”

Dara took a deep breath and left without a word.

 

“I’m calling LaFlamme. Let’s sue the asses off these motherfuckers.” Dinesh stared at him leaving.

“Make sure to name him directly.”

By the end of business that day Uber was served with a lawsuit for wrongful death, naming the CEO directly.

* * *

 

Monica went out to get cigarettes. She was only gone a couple of minutes but when she came back to Jared’s condo she was shocked to see Jared’s bedroom door open.

She cautiously walked in, “Jared? You doing okay?” She looked around and turned confused when he wasn’t in his room. She saw his laptop sitting open on his uncharacteristically unmade bed. She saw it had a bunch of research into human trafficking and how it works. Monica searched the condo, “Jared? Jared?” She noticed his keys that were lying on the kitchen counter were now gone. “Shit. Where the fuck did he go?” She tried to call him but it went to voicemail.  “Fuck.”

 

Jared got out of his Volt at a street corner in part of San Francisco's Red Light District.

Jared walked up to a tall older black man in a tight v-neck grey t-shirt and tight black pants. “Hey, Jared!” He smiled and went in for a handshake then pulling him in for a one handed hug.

“Hey, Peter.”

“How you doing? Haven’t seen you in a while. You get out?”

“Yeah, yeah. How’s business?”

“Oh you know. There’s always money to be made. You just have to get out there and try. Survival of the fittest, you know.”

After the pleasantries Jared got to business, “This isn’t actually a social call. I need your help. Have you or anyone else seen him?” He pulled up a picture of Richard from his phone.

“Sorry, I haven’t.”

“How about her?” He showed him a picture of Gabriella.

“Sorry, man. I haven’t. I wish I could help you, buddy.”

Jared grimaced, “What about him?” He showed Peter a picture of Diavolo.

“Damn, why you looking for him?”

Jared confirmed, “So you know him?”

“Yeah, that’s Diavolo. He’s a huge player. Real bad motherfucker.”

“What about them?” He showed pictures of Craig and Timmer.

“Yeah, they work for Diavolo. The first one was Craig. Could never really make it, you know. The second one is Timmer. Diavolo’s right hand man. Real scary motherfucker.”

“He took Richard. Everyone thinks Diavolo killed him, but…”

“You don’t.”

“No.” Jared shook his head, “But no one believes me.”

“I’m so sorry. We all heard about Diavolo’s takedown.”

“So he does work people around here.”

Peter scoffed, “Hell no!”

Jared was confused, “If Diavolo didn’t work here, then where?”

Peter raised his eyebrows, “You think Diavolo had his people picking up bj’s on the corner?” Jared didn’t know where Peter was going with this. “Hell no! He has a high profile cliente. Like elite.  CEO’s, politicians, the works. There’s a reason he’s been doing this since before you were in diapers and he hasn’t gotten so much as a parking ticket.”

“Why?”

Peter rolled his eyes at the question, “He has several cops on his speed dial, including several DA’s. I heard how his takedown went. How do you think he knew to start cleaning house, hmm? Because someone from the SFPD was working the case with the Troopers and the Feds and leaked him the info so he could get out. He was just too slow.”

Jared tried to wrap his head around everything he was being told. “It’s too bad he won’t actually go to prison for all this.”

That caught Jared’s attention, “What?”

“He may be in jail now, but I bet you he won’t get convicted. Like I said, he’s got so many powerful people on his payroll. He has almost unparalleled reach. He has the goods on everyone you could think of.”

“Even those he has working for him.”

Peter scoffed, “How do you think he controls them! Everyone has something or someone that they cannot lose. He finds out what their weakness is and exploits it. It ain’t rocket science.”

Jared remembered what Diavolo told him during his visit. _‘He needed a little extra persuasion to work for me. So I told him that I would find the person that he cares about the most. I had my guys find out who you were and followed you. Once I showed him your picture and threatened you. He became an obedient dog.’_

“Do you know anyone who works those kinds of places? Anyone who could know anything about Richard?”

Jared could see the wheels turning in Peter’s head and the holy shit moment, as it put it together, “Holy shit you dumb, motherfucker. You want to try to find Richard by infiltrating what’s left of the ring. Don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“If they find out that you’re not one of them. That you’re snooping around. They don’t care about killing some pimp, or some whore, or some random dude. It’s all just business to them. This most likely will end with you dead and you most likely won’t find the answers you’re looking for.” Jared stared him down. “I wasn’t lying when I said he had unparalleled reach. You could very well get yourself killed.”

“You _know_ that I know how dangerous this is.”

Peter shook his head, “I don’t think that you do. I think you’re blinded by what happened to Richard that you can’t see how stupid and dangerous this is.”

“He’s out there and he needs me! _I know it!”_

There was a long silence between the two. Peter knew that Jared wasn’t going to back down.

“Maybe you should go home and sleep on this. Talk to me tomorrow.”

“That's the thing. I don’t sleep. I’ve slept maybe 2 hours a night since he disappeared. I’ll sleep when he’s safe.”

There was another silence between them. Jared got back to his demand, “Do you know anyone I could get more information from or not?”

Peter let out a defeated sigh, “Yeah, name’s Missy. I’ll text you her info.”

“Thanks.” Jared started to leave.

“Good luck!” He called out from the corner. “You’re going to need it!”

Jared never thought about going to the Feds again. They failed him. Working with Gavin Belson failed him. He didn't trust law enforcement or anyone else to do it right. To actually find Richard and avenge him.

So Jared would do it himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Jared does have a sorted tragic past I've been wanting touch on it but I this was the first place in the story where I thought it really fit. (Also, just touch on it, there's enough trauma in this fic. Although doing a character study type fic or just a meta with him one day would be pretty interesting)


	26. The Lead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared acts on the tip from his old friend, Peter. Desperately hoping that it will provide answers. Richard finds out what Old Nick specializes in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to celebrate my birthday by posting! Yay!
> 
> [I've added some to the fic playlist since I last posted it so I figured I'd post an updated version! ](https://open.spotify.com/user/onequartercanadian/playlist/6mrF9PNBum5cRRcP0LMMwe?si=6lrqgDymTGGEaTt2IcRVFg%20rel=)
> 
> [I also made another fic edit a while back and realized I never posted it here. ](https://onequartercanadian.tumblr.com/post/177973771280/ill-throw-away-my-faith-babe-just-to-keep-you)

When Jared arrived at the funeral home he took a couple deep breaths before walking in. He knew from the packed parking lot it was going to be busy, but he didn’t know how busy until he walked into the packed funeral home. Gabriella and Alex had a very large close Cuban family. 

There was a brief moment where he wondered what is was like to have a big, close, loving family. He shook those thoughts from his brain and went to find Alex.

He walked through the crowds until he found Alex sitting near the open casket. 

“Hey.”

His son Rafael, sitting on his lap, “Hey, Jared. Glad you could make it.”

“Yes, of course.” He sat down next to Alex.

They looked at the dark brown wooden open casket. Bundles of red and white roses, white carnations, red lilies, and white  mariposas, surrounded the casket. 

“She looks peaceful.” Jared noted, but didn’t find it necessary to bring up how much better she looked from when he saw her in the hospital. She was clean, didn’t look as underweight, her bruises were expertly covered, her long brown curls were neat and well done. She looked like she was just asleep.

“Yeah, they did a good job.” Alex commented

There was silence between them as they continued to look at the casket. Jared looked at Rafael sitting on Alex’s lap. He looked so cute and innocent in his little suit, “How are you doing?”

Rafael simply said, “Mommy went to be with Jesus.”

Jared’s eyes met Alex’s in grief and shock. Alex looked down at Rafael, “Hey bud, how about you go see Abuela.”

“Okay.” He crawled off Alex’s lap and ran off. 

Jared asked Alex, “You are you holding up?”

“I have to hold it together, for Rafael. At least I have answers and I know she’s no longer in pain. I know she would have loved to give her statement to the FBI and nail those  gilipollas to the wall. Getting justice and helping others was so strongly ingrained in her.” He was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing, “You know, when they did the autopsy, they found a lethal amount of opioids in her system. They suspect that they were injected in her shortly before her cardiac arrest.” Jared put his hand to his face in shock, “So it was that nurse that wasn’t supposed to be there. They knew that Gabriella was now a threat and would do anything in her power to bring them down….so they killed her.”

He was right.

Alex straightened his blue tie, “You know how it is. The pain is so overwhelming and, unbearable at times.”

‘ _ Well at least you have answers. The full story. Closure.”  _ Jared bitterly held back.

Alex turned towards him, “You know what the worst part for me is?” Jared looked at him curiously, “I’m going to eventually have to explain to my son what happened to his mother. Because he’s going to want concrete answers...I’ve been able to talk my way around it for now, because he’s young, but once he’s older. I’m going to have to tell him what happened. Why she was gone for so long, why and how she died. What am I supposed to tell him? I want to just lie, but I know he can see from just a simple Google search...That’s the worst part for me.”

They sat in silence again for a while. 

Jared was at a loss for what to say. He didn’t think there was anything he could say to that. 

“Also, if one more well meaning family member says ‘I know how you feel’ or ‘wishes me well on my healing journey’ I’m going to throw a bottle of piss at them.” Jared held back a chuckle at his comment, “When I’m sobbing  in my basement or outside in the middle of the night because I don’t want to do it where it would wake my son up. Wondering why and how this happened. That’s not a ‘healing journey’ It’s more of a, numb depressed slough. Also, you’re the _only_ _one_ who can say they know how I feel. Because you do.”

Jared nodded. He understood where Alex was coming from. He had those questions too. Why this happened. He was determined to answer them. 

“Gabriella used to tell me, everything does not happen for a reason. It’s all just chaos and violence. How you can help, be kind. It’s chaos, be kind.”

It reminded Jared of something Gilfoyle would say...except for the being kind part.

“When are you going to...have a memorial for Richard? Because I would like to come.” Alex assumed that was something that was going to happen and that Jared wasn’t in crippling denial. He knew that they hadn’t found Richard’s body, so he was careful about how he phrased it. 

Jared didn’t know how to respond to that. Because he was adamant that Richard wasn’t dead. Even though everyone else thought he was, even the Feds declared him legally dead. The others had tried to approach the topic in short time since learning the news, but Jared got angry and refused to talk about it.

“I’ll let you know.” Jared thought that was a satisfactory answer.

“Okay, I hope it’s soon because I’ve made a big decision.” Alex took a breath, “We’re moving back to Havana.”

Jared’s eyebrows raised, “What?”   
“I only stayed because I needed to find Gabriella. Now that she’s gone. I don’t have too much here. Some family has come to the States over the years, but most of its in Cuba.” He added as a side note, “I’m glad I was able to get them here for the service.” He got back to his point, “I just want to be around family. I want Rafael to be around his family. I plan to get her cremated and bring her ashes home.”

Jared didn’t get it, but he understood. “What about the government? Gabriella’s problems with them?” They originally had to leave Cuba due to some papers Gabriella wrote promoting free speech and democracy.

“They’ll watch me for a while, but with Gabriella gone they won’t arrest me or anything.”

“Well I wish the best for you two.”

“Thank you. You too.” He gave some advice, “Someone once told me when Gabriella was missing that ‘I didn’t have to forget, but I had to move on’.”

“What did you say? Did you throw a bottle of urine at them?”

Alex slightly chuckled, “No. I said,  no, with respect, you're wrong. You never move on. We hold that place in our heart. Lock the door, visit from time to time. But we don't move on. Even after we say goodbye.” 

Jared completely understood what Alex meant by that. He thought that was a great answer. He could never move on from Richard. Jared was determined to get answers and find him.

* * *

 

That evening Jared acted on the tip that his old friend, Peter, gave him. He heard that a girl named Missy was supposed to be working this party downtown. Supposedly, she knew about the higher end scene and therefore, about Diavolo. 

He walked up to the large house in a San Francisco suburb not too far from Palo Alto. 

_ ‘Could he really have been this close?’ _ He shook the thought from his mind and adjusted his glasses with a video camera in the frames. He wanted to have concrete evidence for anything he learned about Richard or Diavolo’s ring. He did not want miss or forget anything. He couldn’t afford anything to fall through the cracks. That’s how they got into this situation. He thought that the Feds didn’t do their jobs. Jared cautiously walked up and knocked on the solid wood front door. It was open so he just walked in. The house was fairly simple despite its large size. Techno music blared through the dimly lit house. There were dozens of already drunk guests, mostly men. He noticed a couple young girls that were dressed like prostitutes. His heart sank and his chest tightened when he saw a girl, no older than fifteen, grinding on a guy who looked old enough to be her grandfather. 

_ ‘Focus on your mission, Donald.’  _ He reminded himself, ‘ _ You can’t save everyone. Find Richard first. He can’t afford you getting distracted.’ _

He walked around the party trying to find who he thought could be Missy when a large balding man stopped him. “Who are you?”

“Marcus. Who are you?” Jared didn’t miss a beat.

“Were you invited?” Jared thought the man was clearly a pimp due to his defensive tone when seeing someone he didn’t recognize.

“Plus one. Is that a problem?”

He stared at Jared for a few moments before saying, “Alright. Have fun.” Jared understood why this pimp was so defensive seeing an unfamiliar face. No doubt he heard about Diavolo and was probably being a lot more cautious.

“Hey!” Jared called out. The pimp turned around, “I’m looking to get some with a little blonde snowbunny. You got any here?” He stared at Jared, like he didn’t want to admit to why the girls were here, “Because if not I can take my money elsewhere.”

He smiled, “Of course. Let me show you.”  They walked into a main living room where there were a couple dozen drunk party goers and some prostitutes. Cups and bottles littered the room.

“Missy!” He called out over the music. A young blonde got off a young guy’s lap, the man slipped her some cash and she handed it to the man, confirming that he was the pimp. Jared mentally kicked himself for saying he was a plus one because now he couldn’t ask him about Diavolo without raising red flags. ‘ _ Stupid mistake, Donald.’ _

The girl smiled and took his hand, leading him to a nearby bedroom. 

She sat down and stretched her arms  out across the double bed. “Massage is $200, full is $600.”

Jared put his hands up and stopped her, “Stop. I just need some information from you.” 

She threw her head down for a moment and groaned, “What do you want? You a cop? I’m 19!”

“I’m not a cop. I’m looking for my friend.” He showed her Richard’s picture on his phone. “Have you seen him?”

She looked and shook her head, “No, I’d remember him. He’s cute though.”

He showed her Gabriella’s photo, “Her?”

“Maybe at some point. I don’t know.” She shrugged 

“Him?” He showed her Diavolo and Timmer’s pictures.

She looked at him in shock, “How do you know them?”

“So, you do?”

“Of course. Everyone does.”

“What do you know about him? Just the basics, or more details?”

She got up from the bed and started pacing the room, “Timmer’s the point man. I heard he supervises every party and every date. Like in the room with you.”

“Diavolo doesn’t trust them.”

“Hell no. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been there three days or three years. He’s also very territorial.”

Jared inched closer towards her, “What do you mean?”

“A lot of pimps swap and share amongst their friends.”

“And he doesn’t?”

“It would be very rare for him to do a swap or sell. Heard he finds it easier to just get fresh blood.”

“Where did you hear all this?”

“Around.” She shrugged and picked at her pristine nails.

“Can you be more specific?”

“I use to work for a friend of his.”

“Who?”

“I don’t even know if he was taken in the sweeps or not.” The FBI had captured a couple of men who operated Diavolo’s other houses but some got away.

“Who is he?” Jared pushed

“He’s probably gone underground and you won’t be able to find him.”

“Please, please tell me.” Jared almost begged

Missy rolled her eyes, “His name’s Johnny D. Are we done? I have work to do.” She pushed past him to get towards the door. He stopped her and pulled a couple hundreds from his wallet. “So  _ he  _ doesn’t get angry at you.” He knew that it was all he could do for the time being. “For all anyone knows. I was just a john. Alright?”

She took the cash, “Alright.” 

It killed him that he had to leave her and all the others. As he left the party his earlier thought kept repeating on a loop in his head,  _ ‘Focus on your mission, Donald. You can’t save everyone. Find Richard first. He needs you  _ **_now._ ** _ He can’t afford you getting distracted.’ _

* * *

 

The door unlocking caught Richard’s attention. Old Nick flicked on the light and brought in a stool, tripod, webcam, and laptop. He set up the laptop on the stool and set up the camera on the tripod. He flashed Richard his devilish smile.  He looked at Richard like he was staring into his soul. Richard looked downwards. The next time he looked up he saw that Old Nick had on a black knit ski mask. Richard briefly wondered if those were ever actually used for skilling, not just by people wanting to conceal their crimes. Richard’s eyes widened when he saw the little red light on the webcam.

Richard braced himself for pain. He didn’t know what kind of pain, but he had a sad familiarity with most kinds of pain. He knew it was time to dissociate his mind from reality, but a voice kept telling him,  _ ‘Stay with it. You got Gabriella killed. You deserve this.’  _ Richard tried to fight the thought, ‘ _ No. No. No.’  _

‘ _ She’d still be alive if it weren’t for you. You always have to destroy everything you touch. Don’t you?’ _

Richard unknowingly muttered at the thought, “No no. Stop.”

That caught Old Nick’s attention.  He turned around from where he was adjusting the camera with a sadistic smile. “Oh boy, we haven’t even started yet.”

He walked up to Richard, jostling him so his profile was in the shot, causing immense pain in Richard’s fractured knee. “Let’s get started then. I don’t know how long Diavolo had you, but he kept you around for a reason. You must have made him money.” A shot ran through Richard’s body as he heard and saw Old Nick’s zipper pull down, just enough, “Show me.”


	27. Plunging into the Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared goes undercover to infiltrate what's left of Diavolo's crime ring.  
> A scene from Richard's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to have a little fun and write a scene from Richard's pov. The switch is after the three solid lines. If you like it, let me know and I'll try to put some different povs in the fic. It's fun to play around with for a scene or chapter.

Jared found a pizza joint in suburban Oregon where he was told one of Diavolo’s friends, Johnny D, frequented. After several dead end leads of where Johnny D could be, he was hoping that this panned out to something. Anything. He figured that asking him about Richard specifically would raise red flags, so he planned to ask about Diavolo, trying to learn as much about his ring as possible. He figured he could learn about what happened to Richard that way and who could possibly have him.

Jared walked in wearing his video glasses and saw who he thought was Johnny D along with a couple others. He figured the other were also friends of Diavolo’s. This was turning out to be a good lead afterall. Jared walked up to them and sat down without asking. The threatening men stared at him in confusion.

“Name’s Martin, I heard you were the guys to talk to about a certain kind of business. I’m new to the area. Looking to set up shop.”

The others exchanged the quickest of glances, “What kind of business?”

Jared was smart about his answer, “The kind that can bring you down if you’re not careful. If someone flips on you. I want some _skin_ in the game.”

“And your saying that you’re careful?” Jared noticed he didn’t look like the others. He was short with scruffy brown hair and slick facial features. He wasn’t as muscular as the others. Jared thought he was a very unsuspecting pimp.

Although there was something in the man’s icy blue eyes that rocked Jared to his core. He had a certain evil presence about him that made him different from the others at the table.

“That’s why you haven’t heard of me.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re careful.” The man replied

“That means I know how not to get caught.” Jared stared him down, “I go by two simple principles, discretion and privacy.”

“What do you want with us?” Johnny D asked

Jared turned his attention towards him, “I know that if you want to spend more than five minutes in this business you need to know the players. What territory you can take, what is free, and what territory you shouldn’t touch with a gun to your head.”

Johnny swallowed some pizza and smiled with a nod, “You’re smart, Martie.”

“You come in here just wanting a lay of the land.” Jared felt that the man with the icy blue eyes was skeptical of his motives, but also felt that perhaps he was asking too much too soon. That perhaps he would have to do more to gain these pimps’ trust.

Johnny D put his hand in front of the man, “Relax, Nick. He’s just careful. It’s understandable and even respectable these days.”

“I don’t want to step on anyone I shouldn’t. I know that never ends well. I just want to make my money in peace, as I’m sure you all do as well.”

Johnny wiped his face of pizza grease, “I’m sure you heard about the recent developments.”

“Yes, and I heard what happened to the guy who flipped.”

“Are you loyal, Martin?”

Jared looked straight into his eyes, “To the core.”

That wasn’t a lie.

He wasn’t asked who he was loyal to.

Johnny sat back with a small smile, “We need those kinds of people.”

* * *

 

Monica peared into Dinesh’s office, “You’ve got a minute?”

“Not really. I’m busy. What is it?” Dinesh didn’t look up from his computer

Monica scoffed, “You’re always, ‘busy’. You basically live here.” She came in and sat down in front of him, “It’s been two weeks. We need to do something.”

Dinesh still wasn’t looking at her but was paying attention, “About what? Jared? Who knows where the hell he’s been lately.” Jared never told anyone about his undercover rescue mission because he knew that everyone would call him absolutely insane and try to stop him.

They would have a valid point.

Jared told them that he needed some time and space and he’d check in every once in a while. Everyone respected his space and told him they were there if he needed them.

“I was thinking more of a memorial service for Richard.” Dinesh stopped in his tracks and looked up from his computer. “I mean we should do something. I know there isn’t a…” Her voice trailed off before she could finish. Before she could bring up that they hadn’t found a body.

Dinesh was in complete agreement with her but was thinking of a possible complication, “Jared’s not going to be happy about this.” They knew Jared still didn’t believe Richard was dead.

Monica sighed, “I know. I’ve thought about that. He should still be there. One day he’ll regret it.” Dinesh slightly bit his lip and nodded. “Where’s Gilfoyle? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“It’s eleven am. So not here. Probably sleeping off a bender.” He scoffed, “Do you honestly want him to help plan a memorial?”

Monica raised her eyebrows as she sent a text, “Hell no, we were supposed to have lunch.”

Dinesh rolled his eyes, “With lunch then he probably won’t be in today.”

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

What day is it? I don’t know.

Another day? I don’t know.

Is someone on top of me? I don’t know.

Time doesn’t seem to exist in hell.

I guess time only matters when you have a purpose. A life.

Everything hurts. I want to move nothing. Be nothing. Dissolve away into the stale rancid air of this lowly prison. Dissolve into the deafening silence of this cell. Where all I can hear is my breath. In and out. In and out. All I can feel is the pain all over my body. Bruises, dried blood and...other fluids, broken bones. All cruelly reminding me that I’m still alive.

No matter what he does.

I just won’t die.

I don’t want to be hurt anymore. Although I hate that a part of me still even cares.

 _It might hurt a little_. He taunts every time he starts that goddamn webcam for streaming. Every time he brings someone else in here just to use me like I’m not even human.

Am I even still a human?

Humans feel, love, create, have a purpose.

Humans _live._

I have none of that. I’m just somehow still breathing. Still conscious. Always conscious.

Every time I look into his icy blue eyes and see how dead he is inside. Not dead like me. Like he died and became a demon. I’m just a living dead thing. His eyes are icy and cold, mine are warm. Perhaps he just lives off what’s left of my soul. Sucking away all the heat I have left until I’m just as cold as he is.

Old Nick is a name used by the English to talk about Satan. I know he chose that name on purpose. Apparently the name had a couple theorized origins. One being that he cuts them, leaves a notch in them, cuts their necks, or taunts them.

Diavolo is the Italian word for Devil.

How fitting.

They really know how to pick their evil names.

I know he’ll never let me go. Yet he won’t kill me. He wants me to live to feed his sadistic pleasure.

I used to think that you could get away from the monster. That all nightmares end.

That’s what I would tell myself.

Those _long nights_ that would _never seem to end._

‘ _All nightmares end, Richard. All nightmares end. Just survive.’_

Now I don’t think so.

I've been proven wrong.

 

I can barely comprehend that I had a life before all this. How I used to be a person. A real person who lived. And now, by some life calling or maybe fucked up twist of fate, I was dragged to be trapped down here. How terrible of a person was I to have this bad of karma, to be dealt this hand?

_You got innocent people killed. You deserve this. You were delusional to think that plan was going to work._

“Stop! Stop!” I realize I’m yelling at the voice in my head. Ever present. The only sound in this rotting dungeon.

I’m going crazy.

_Aren’t you already?_

 

Do you remember the simpler things? Hanging out with your friends and watching movies or playing Fortnite. The sense of accomplishment when you finally figure out a bug in your code that you’ve been trying to fix for months. Do you remember the feeling of sun on your face? Rain falling on you? Do you remember being clean? Truly feeling clean. Remember Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s antics. Jared’s kindness. His patience. His love.

No.

You can’t think about Jared.

That hurts too much.

Do you remember real privacy? The kind of privacy that is self-employed, sought out, and decided for.

This is just solitary confinement. Locked away. Thrown out the key.

A lowly cage and I’ll never get out. Not until I die

I hear the lock of the door. He wordlessly comes in and sets up the equipment. A large man comes in behind him. He looks Eastern European wearing a tracksuit. I know why he is here.

“You’re next client is here. Shape up.”

I feel something wet on my face as I anticipate the familiar pain. I realize they’re tears.

As much as I try to numb myself. I still feel. Why do I still feel?

I’m just so tired.

I’m tired of fighting.

I’m tired of surviving.

I just want to go. Be free of everything’s that’s happened.

Be free of the pain.

No matter what I do, what he does to me, I just won’t go.

Why can’t I go?

I don’t know what comes after this...but I know it’s better than going through all of this pain.

Why can’t he just let me go?


	28. Heart of the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared bro downs with Diavolo's friends in order to earn their trust so he can learn more about the ring in order to find Richard.
> 
> He has no clue how close he actually is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title by: Heart of the Darkness; Sam Tinnesz  
> This chapter is pretty short but the next several are fairly long.

“Let’s take this to Mickey’s. We can get a room. Get to know our new friend a little better over some drinks. Sound good, Martie?” Johnny D put his arm around Jared and pulled him in tight.

Jared knew he had to maintain his cover, “Sounds great.”

 He was about to enter the belly of the beast. 

He followed them as they left the pizza joint and got into a black Escalade. One of Johnny’s friends blasted some some late nineties/early 2000’s rap. Jared complemented their choice, just a drop in his bucket to gain their trust. Get them to let him in and tell him everything he needed to know. He could use the info to find Richard.

They drove about twenty minutes down the suburban road and came up to a small dive bar with a small sign up top saying, Mickey’s. He followed the men into the dive bar. The bouncer nodded at them and walked in with them. T It wasn’t really crowded so Jared figured they’d sit at the bar. They were led between the wall and the bar into the back room. 

It was a small back office with a fluorescent white light and a round wooden table in the middle. A small desk and computer off to the side. They sat down.

Jared knew two of their names were Johnny D and Nick. He remembered Nick’s icy blue eyes. He understood that the other two were Lil’ Troy, and Big Pete. The way he started their conversation at the pizza joint didn’t lend itself to introductions. He didn't really know anything about these guys but remembered the names when they were brought up in conversation. He kept them straight because Lil’ Troy was a big muscular black guy and Big Pete was a smaller Eastern European who looked like a gangster with the white tank top, dark blue tracksuit, and bald head. 

Nick connected his Spotify to the Bluetooth speaker and started some variety songs from the late 90’s/early 2000’s, mostly rap and R&B. A young blonde brought in a couple domestic beers and shots of vodka.

Johnny picked up a shot and smiled at the scantily clad waitress, “Ever have some of the local brew, Martie?”

“No.”

“Oregon makes a good brew.”

Big Pete brought out a joint from his dark blue tracksuit pocket and lit it up. After taking a puff he passed it to Johnny next to him. Johnny took a puff and gave it to Jared. He knew that he had to keep his cover. He knew they could be a wealth of information. He just had to get them to open up.  Broing down with these pimps was the only way he’d gain their trust. Trust was the only way he was going to open up and let him into their evil inner circle.

He took the joint and took a puff before passing it on. They started doing shots along with their beer. Jared went shot for shot with them that night. They drank and talked till dawn. They constantly asked questions about him. Jared gave them the answers he prepared about his cover. He had done his research. He knew exactly what to say.

“How’s the move going?” Lil’ Troy passed the joint to Nick

“It’s going?”

“You leaving?” Jared squinted and took another sip of his beer. He was incredibly drunk at this point and was trying desperately not to fuck up. The only reason he hadn’t thrown up was pure willpower.

If these guys found out he wasn’t who they thought and that he was recording this through his glasses...he’d be a dead man walking. Jared didn’t want to think about what they would do to him.

“Moving towards my Balkan operation.” Nick took another shot of vodka and refilled his shot glass.

“What about those you have working for you?”

Nick scoffed, “I’ve only got a few right now. I’ll take the best one or two. Kill or sell the rest.” He chuckled and took another shot.

“What’s so funny?” Jared wondered what about murder apparently brought him joy.

“I got two recently. One I thought was fucked up beyond me being able to scare them into compliance. You know, have some fun with them...he actually asked me to kill him.” 

‘ _ He???’  _

Jared was taken from his trance when he saw the other pimps laughing. “I’m sitting there like, damn you will be interesting. But also, you gotta stay alive to make me money. I’m keeping that bitch alive  _ on purpose _ now. Purely for spite.”

“That’s amazing.” Big Pete went in for a high five. 

“I had a really great comeback too....I’m in charge. I decide what lives and what dies.” 

“Nice!” They all went in for high fives as they hysterically laughed then clinked their beers. 

“You’re one bad motherfucker, Nick!”

Jared had to join into the laughter maintain his cover, he tried but his laugh came out more as uncomfortable than genuine. He hoped they wouldn’t notice. He wanted to ask more about the guy in question...but pimps aren’t supposed to ask questions like that. They weren’t capable of empathy or sympathy. Seeing them as actual human being instead of a commodity. It would raise questions, red flags. 

If Jared didn’t play his cards right and they found out or were even susicipious...he’d never find Richard...because Jared would be dead in a ditch. Because these guys didn’t play around.

"You really earned your nickname, man." Lil Troy took a puff of the joint.

Jared curled his eyebrows and asked Nick, "Why? What's your nickname?"

Nick drank a gulp of his beer, "Old Nick."

"After the Devil?"

"Yeah." He smiled and nodded before taking another drink.

“Are you from around here?”

“Nah man, Seattle. Johnny’s from Sacramento. Lil’ Troy and Big Pete are from around here.”

Before Jared could strategize a way to learn more the men were distracted by “All Star” coming on the speaker and thus changing the topic to pop culture.

“Really, Nick? Smash Mouth? I thought you had  _ good _ taste in music.” Lil’ Troy slammed his shot glass down on the table.

Nick curled his eyebrows and leaned back, “What? Smash Mouth’s awesome.”

“You must be high to like them, bro!” Lil’ Troy took a puff of the joint before handing it to Nick.

“They’re a fucking joke, man. You’re a fucking moron.”

Nick slammed his fist on the table so hard all the bottles and glasses fell over. He jumped up, visibly startling Jared, “You want to fucking go?!” He squared up Lil’ Troy who did the same.

Jared jumped up and put his hands between them. He wasn’t trying to be a hero, he was just trying to stop a homicide. 

“Okay, okay. Let’s not do that. Let’s…” He tried to think of the best way to calm down some angry, drunk, high, sociopaths. They’d probably kick his ass if he started telling them about anger management techniques he learned in the system. He was pretty drunk but they didn’t seem like the kind of crowd who’d respond well to that. 

“Let’s not do that. Let’s-let’s-let’s let’s change the music.” He looked at Lil’ Troy “What would you like to listen to?”

“Biggie Smalls.”

Jared nodded and turned to Nick, “Does that sound good?” 

Nick grimaced, “Only his early stuff.”

“Fine.”

Jared sat down as Nick grabbed his phone to change the music, surprised that the situation was defused. Jared noticed Johnny’s look of satisfied approval which Jared acknowledged with a nod. 

He knew he was gaining their trust. Eventually they’d let him in on all their evil secrets.

He had no idea what he was in for.


	29. Letting It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone holds a memorial for Richard. Gilfoyle get suspicious of Jard's recent absence and wonders what he's been hiding.

Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Monica walked into the restaurant which was already starting to fill up. Since they didn’t have a body and Richard was indifferent towards religion they didn’t really know what to do for a memorial or wake, but knew they had to do something. They decided on a simple get together at a nearby restaurant.

“Wow, there’s more people here than I anticipated.” Dinesh looked up from his phone at the crowding bar as they sat down at a brown leather booth.  Dark wood covered the walls and some dim ceiling lamps warmly illuminated the space.  It was turning out to be a who’s who of the Valley. Past investors, associates, colleagues, friends. 

“I still can’t believe you wouldn’t even put on a button down. We’re at a wake for fuck’s sake.” Monica glared at Gilfoyle’s black flannel with black t-shirt underneath. “Would it kill you to look nice once in a while?”

“He didn’t care what I wore when he was alive, he can’t care now that he’s dead. So who gives a shit.” Monica took a deep breath and let it out in a huff while giving him a death glare.  He looked down, “Sorry.”

“Has anyone heard from Jared recently?” Monica hadn’t heard from Jared since he just got up and left a week earlier.

“I told you the last time I heard from him.” Jared texted Dinesh every so often to tell him him that he was okay and generally where he was.

“Yeah I know, birding in Oregon.” 

“Although anyone can send a text from any number.” They gave Gilfoyle a death glare, “Just saying.”

Monica turned her attention back to Dinesh, “Did he say anything about if he was going to show up?”

Dinesh shrugged and sighed as he checked his phone, “I told him when and where. He said he’d try to make it.”

“What the fuck do you mean, “try” to make it? He’s looking at damn birds.”

Monica gave him a slight shove, Gilfoyle glared at her, “Hey, he found something healthy that helps him.” She gave Dinesh a dirty look, “Jesus Fucking Christ, again, we’re at a wake. If you don’t put your fucking phone down I  _ will _ break it. What the fuck are you doing?”

Dinesh had barely looked away from his phone all morning, “I’ve been working with Collin about this bug that he can’t fix.”

Monica reached her hand across the light wooden table and put her hand over the small screen getting his attention, “Okay first of all, bug issues are not your problem. We have Gilfoyle as CTO for that. Second of all, basically everyone is coming here so put work aside for a couple hours.”

Dinesh slide his phone into his pocket.

* * *

 

Jared straightened his grey sweater vest as he walked into the bar. He exchanged a few words with some of the guests, thanking them for coming and they gave him their sympathies. He found the gang at a booth in the back. They exchanged a couple of surprised hellos as Jared sat down.

Monica was the first to ask, “So, how are you?”

Jared wasn’t surprised that it took less than a minute of him being there to be asked that question. He felt he was making slow progress with Diavolo’s friends. They were slowly letting him in. He felt every minute he spent with them brought him closer to breaking this thing wide open and finding out what happened to Richard. Jared had just come from a party of theirs and was hanging out with them all last night.

“Better than I was before.”

He studied his friend’s reactions. Monica seemed to believe him, either than or she was ignoring the other possibility that he was very not okay. Dinesh seemed on the fence. It was Gilfoyle he was worried about. He could always tell when Jared wasn’t telling the whole truth and Gilfoyle looked like he did not believe a single word Jared said. 

Gilfoyle noticed that not only did Jared look hungover and like he barely slept but he detected a faint smell of weed and booze which were very Un-Jared. 

He prayed that Gilfoyle didn’t call him out, because Jared knew he would. To his relief, Gilfoyle didn’t say anything. Although he kept giving Jared a dirty suspicious stare that made Jared quite uncomfortable.

Jared doubled down on his lie, “Birding is very therapeutic. I saw a Clay-Colored Sparrow. Such a beautiful creature.”

Gilfoyle raised his eyebrows as he took a gulp of beer, “Oh really.”

“Yes it is. You should try it.” Jared tried to look directly at Gilfoyle but couldn’t, and Gilfoyle picked up on it.

To Jared’s relief they were interrupted by some well wishing Pied Piper employees. When they left Jared couldn’t handle anyone else saying “I’m sorry for your loss”. He needed some air. The others knew this was going to be tough for him. They noticed Jared looked like he was kicked in the stomach every time someone offered their sympathies.

When he left Monica looked at him then towards the guys, “Should...should we go check on him? Make sure he’s okay?”

“Just give him a minute. I’m honestly surprised he even showed up.” Dinesh took a sip of his drink.

“Do you think that he’s coming out of denial and what he’s been doing to cope is helping?”

Gilfoyle slightly shook his head, “He’ll never admit it….because if it admits it, then it’s real. If it’s real then he has to deal with it. Sometimes it’s easier to live in denial. Humans are hardwired for closure. We can’t stand ambiguity. He’ll always have hope that he’s alive until he sees a body. Which we all know won’t happen. Hope is the most dangerous thing to have.”

Dinesh sat back, stunned at the comment. “Wow….that was actually really insightful.”

“I’m a wealth of knowledge. Try to keep up.”

Monica asked, “You don’t think he’s actually dealing with this?”

“Would you?” Gilfoyle responded without skipping a beat. The two were silent in thought. They weren’t able to look at him.

Gilfoyle got up to smoke outside.  

* * *

 

As he walked out the back door of the restaurant into the alley, he saw Jared leaning against the wall. He walked towards him and pulled a joint from his pocket. He lit it and took a puff before handing it to Jared.

He put his hand up to refuse, “Oh no. I don’t-”

Gilfoyle’s eyebrows rose, “Are you still going with that? Okay.” Jared knew he was caught, “You reek of booze and marijuana. If you don’t want others to know, then change your damn clothes.”

Jared looked down at his button down and sweater vest and straightened them out. “I’m assuming I owe you an explanation.”

Gilfoyle looked out towards the alley and took a puff of the joint, “Not if you don’t want to talk.”

Jared was surprised by the response. He thought Gilfoyle would mock him endlessly about lying and smelling of drugs and alcohol. That he would demand an explanation and Jared wouldn’t know what to say. He couldn't just say that he had to bro down with some pimps in order to be let into their evil circle of trust. Because that was objectively insane.

“You just lost the love of your life in one of the most brutal ways imaginable. You don’t owe anyone anything. You found a way to cope that enabled you to be here today, with everyone constantly giving you sympathies. The constant reminder of what happened. As long as your coping so one day you can get back to us as and the company. So we can build a new normal and run the company Richard left behind. Then go for it.” He took a puff of the joint, “Because there is no going back to where we were before.” 

Jared stood in shock by Gilfoyle’s words. “You know, I never complimented you on punching the shit out of that disgusting fuck.”

Jared slightly nodded, “Umm...thank you?”

“If someone ever hurt Monica and for whatever reason, she wasn’t able to kick their ass. You would be  _ damn sure  _ that I would slowly kill them and burn everything and everyone they care about.”

Jared nodded again . He had no doubt Gilfoyle had the capability to go full Liam Neeson. 

“I’m just...so fucking  _ angry _ and upset. Why did this happen? Why him? Why did he choose him specifically? Why couldn’t he just, come home that night. We were supposed to eat Thai food and watch a Netflix documentary.” Tears welled in Jared’s eyes. He balled his fists, “I just have this, red hot, boliding  _ rage _ . I hate them. I fucking  _ hate _ them! They ruined his life! They ruined our lives.” Gilfoyle kept listening, just letting him get it out. Jared hadn’t really talked to anyone about how he was feeling post finding out that Richard was probably dead. 

“You should be angry.” Jared looked at Gilfoyle like he just remembered he was there. “You have the right to be. It was an act of senseless violence on someone you truly cared about. So be angry. Yell, scream, punch. Whatever.” Jared just kept staring at him, “I mean it.”

Jared looked around the abandoned alley. Just a couple of blue dumpsters off their left against the brick wall of the restaurant. Jared let out a throaty yell, then another, and another.  He quickly turned to his left and punched the dumpster with another yell which really hurt his hand but it felt really good. 

“I want them to pay! All those motherfuckers! I want them all to burn for what they did!” He yelled again, “I don’t want this, to be doing this! I don’t want this to be my life! They forced my hand! Everything is just so fucked up!” Gilfoyle thought that he meant a life without Richard, being at his memorial. That was the logical conclusion. What Jared meant was infiltrating the ring trying to figure out what happened. “I don’t just want justice. I want revenge. I want to hurt them more than they hurt him! I want to fuck them up! I want to fuck them up!” Jared took a couple ragged deep breathes and muttered just above a whisper, “I just...I just want...he’s not-he’s not dead.” He stopped and collected himself. 

“Feel better?” Gilfoyle took another puff of the joint. 

Jared looked up at him, “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

“Good.”

They stood there silently for a while before Jared brought up a question, “What if I need help? Can I call you?”

“You know I’m not the person for that emotional shit. That whole thing,” He vaguely gestured towards the dumpster Jared recently punched, “Is about the limit.”

“What about other help? Nothing to do with emotions. If I’m ever in trouble.”

Gilfoyle looked at him in confusion. He didn’t ask why, but was tempted to, having no idea what Jared was up to. “Then sure. Call me.”

Jared smiled. He knew Gilfoyle unknowingly had his back. He turned to go back inside but, before he could, while he was still standing in the doorway Gilfoyle reminded him, “Revenge is illegal in your country. The over bloated criminal court system says it will serve justice.”

“And?”

“We have to hope it works. Even though hope is the most dangerous thing to have. There is no punishment severe enough for what they did. They need to burn.”

In that moment, Jared was tempted turn around and tell him everything. Maybe he’d understand.

But he didn’t say anything. Instead he thanked Gilfoyle and went back inside.

Gilfoyle took another puff and let out the low odd chuckle of his, “Birding my ass.” He had no clue what Jared was doing nor did he want to know, but he was fairly certain it wasn’t birding. Gilfoyle had reached the end of the joint and put it out on the ground before going back in.

* * *

 

As they reached the table Jared mildly panicked when they saw Gavin Belson standing at the table talking to Monica and Dinesh. No one had really seen Gavin since Pied Piper became big. As they predicted, Pied Piper’s new internet put Gavin’s box out of business and Hooli was recently acquired by Amazon and Gavin was ousted as CEO. Since then Gavin had been lying low. Jared worried what he could say. 

They walked up and Dinesh and Monica gave Jared a death glare. Gavin greeted them, “Hello. Condolences.”

“Jared, what the hell is he talking about?”

“What do you mean, Dinesh?”

Gavin chimed in, “Oh, you never told them.”

“Told us what?”

“We had an agreement. I find Richard or the Kidnapper. I get Pied Piper. Although I call off the agreement a couple months ago due to diminishing returns. Such a shame really.”

Gilfoyle gave him a look of murder. “What?”

Jared was quick to assure, “I thought he could do it. I was desperate.” He gave Gavin a look, “But he failed to produce results.”

Gavin could tell things were getting heated between Jared and the rest of the group so Gavin decided it was time to head out, “Well, I have to go. Condolences again. Donald. Goldfoil. Others.”

With him gone they were able to ask Jared more questions. Dinesh tried to keep his voice down, “Why the fuck did you promise Richard’s fucking enemy his company?”

Jared and Gilfoyle sat back down at opposite sides of the booth. “Like I said. I was desperate. I thought it would work. If it did, I thought I could get out of it.”

“You wanted to have your cake and eat it too?”

“If you mean I wanted Richard back as well as having the company, then yes.” He took a breath, “Why are you guys so angry?  It didn’t work! We still have the damn company.”

Gilfoyle folded his arms and stared him down like he was burning into Jared’s soul, “The point is. You kept this from us. What else are you hiding from us, Jared?” He knew that was partially fueled by their conversation outside. Jared knew he couldn’t say he wasn’t hiding anything.

As Jared scrambled to think of a response they were interrupted by a small familiar voice, “Richard’s dead?” They turned and saw Big Head looking lost and confused while carrying a Big Gulp.

Jared was quick to change the conversation, “Big Head, we’ve been trying to get a hold of you for months. Where have you been?”

He came over and squeezed in next to Jared, “Oh I was on a boat for like a  _ really _ long time. My dad said it would teach me responsibility or something and help me get my life together. I didn’t have any phone or internet. I just got back and heard what happened. That’s insane.”   
They spoke with him for awhile which Jared was pleased about because he knew that Gilfoyle would not expect an answer to his question with Big head around. It would be inappropriate.

“It’s so wild to think about, you know.” They nodded. He squished his face together in a frown, “He didn’t deserve that. No one does.”

Gilfoyle took a drink of his beer, “ You don't get what you deserve. You get what you get. There is no higher power. There is no god. There's just chaos and violence. Death doesn't discriminate. It takes and takes and takes."

* * *

 

Later Big Head proposed a toast. He banged on his beer bottle, surprised by how loud the sound was. He got everyone attention, “Hi” He awkwardly waved, “Just wanted to give a toast. People do those at this sort of thing right?” He saw some nods, “Okay, cool. So yeah. To Richard. Gone far too soon.” 

He raised his glass and everyone followed, “To Richard.” Everyone clinked glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A while back someone asked where Big Head was and I realized I completely forgot about him and as Richard's friend he should probably make at least a couple sporadic appearances. When this was brought up I was already at least a dozen chapters in and oddly this was the first time I could write him in without really forcing it.
> 
> I really love comments, they really make my day, and will respond to you. (I just love talking about my writing and deeply appreciate any chance to do so)


	30. Making the Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared gets an important lead. Old Nick learns something important about Richard.

“That goes over there.” Monica directed a mover with a long desk in the large office space. The morning sun shone through the floor to ceiling windows on the east side of the office. Dinesh and Gilfoyle saw Monica as they entered the office space.

“How’s the move going?” Dinesh looked around their new offices

“Good. How’s hiring going?”

“Terrible, I hate it. GIlfoyle is finding flaws with everyone. In every department.”

“Well, we’re signing more developers everyday. We need the staff to support them. Engineers, support staff, legal, government affairs, HR. We’ve put off this expansion long enough. You _know_ we’ve been bursting at the seams.”

Dinesh groaned, “I know.”

“How are the other floors going?” They had subleased a four story office space for their growing company. Dinesh thought it was too much but Monica had told him that they needed that much room for the expansion and they had the funds to do it.

“They’re just about done. Is everything out of the old office?”

“Yeah the rest of the stuff is in a truck downstairs.”

“I got our offices done yesterday. If you want to take a look.” She motioned down the hall.

She guided them down the long hallway when Dinesh stopped as something caught his eye. He nudged Gilfoyle, bringing his attention to the moderately sized portrait on the wall.

It was a memorial for Richard. A candid photo Jared managed to capture of him on the first day in their old office. He was smiling at his name and title were outside his office. Below the picture were his year of birth and presumed death with the epitaph, _A mind that comes once in a generation. Rest in peace._

Monica noticed what they were looking at, “It came in yesterday. I forget to tell you.”

“Looks good.” Dinesh commented, Gilfoyle just nodded. The three solemnly looked at it for what felt like an eternity. Because as far as they knew, that was all that was left of their friend.

Dinesh broke the silence, “Has anyone heard from Jared recently?” They had barely seen him since the memorial.

“Do we know if he’s coming back to work?” Monica felt bad asking but had to.

“He texted me a week ago. He didn’t say anything about coming back. Just that he was still alive.” Gilfoyle answered. He was still suspicious about what Jared was doing, but didn’t want to know. So he never asked and Jared never told him.

Monica took a breath, “Okay, I don’t want to to rush him...but...we need him _here_. If he doesn’t want to anymore, that’s okay. We need to know if we need to-” She stopped before saying, hire a new COO.

They got what she was intending and nodded. “Next time he contacts me, I’ll ask.” Gilfoyle responded.

They continued down the hall to their new offices.

Unlike Jared, they were slowly moving on and making a new normal.

* * *

Jared had been making major inroads with Johnny D and his crew. They were trusting him more. Opening up more, spilling their secrets. Well...mostly. Nick was notoriously secretive. The others told Jared that Nick doesn’t trust newcomers. He still barely trusted the friends he already had. He only really trusted Johnny D because they knew each other since grade school. All Jared knew about Nick’s operation was that he used webcams on the darknet. Jared had tried to find his site but was unable to. Even though Gilfoyle unknowingly said he’d help Jared if he got into trouble, Jared regretted asking in the first place. He didn’t want to bring more people into an already dangerous situation.

Jared had yet to learn anything directly about Richard. When he asked if any of the working girls had seen him, (claiming that he owned Jared money) they had said no. He still felt he was on the right track. Like he was close to blowing this wide open. He was close. He could feel it.

He had lunch with Big Pete and were going back to his place. A small unsuspecting townhouse in suburban Oregon. As they entered the small, dimly lit living room, where several young scantily clad girls were hanging out on the couch, Big Pete got a call and stood off to the side.

“Hey brother, what up? Wait, seriously? Alright, cool. It’ll take a while but I’ll be there.”

Jared asked from where he had taken a seat on the old ratty couch, “What’s wrong?”

Big Pete put the phone back in the pocket of his black track pants. “Nick needs help. He’s moving out this week and needs help cleaning up shop. I told him earlier to just set fire to the place before but he said no. I don't know why though.”

“Want me to come with? I can help.”

Big Pete waved him off, “Nah, you know how private he is. He’s super paranoid about other pimps in his space. You know. Thanks though, Martie.” Nor Jared nor anyone else, had ever seen Nick’s homebase. Only Johnny D had because he was the only one Nick actually trusted. Like everyone else in the group, Jared wanted to scan the place for evidence, but when he asked or offered he was always refused.

That in itself he found suspicious.  

“Just say here and watch the girls. Don’t fall for any of there shit, Martie.” Big Pete warned with a steel eye that Jared would not want to challenge.

“Will do.”

After Big Pete left Jared sat on the couch with the four girls who kept giving him lustful gazes. He had been propositioned by working girls several times, each time he claimed that he was on the job and didn’t mix business with pleasure. This was one of those times. The girls backed down but he did have a couple questions for them.

“Hey, I need to ask you girls a couple questions.”

A young brunuette twirled a finger through her hair, “Shoot.”

He pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of Richard, “Have you seen him?” He passed his phone to the girls.

“What do you want with him?”

Jared went with his usual cover story, “He owes me money. I’d like to collect.”

“Yeah, I think so.” The brunette said.

“When?”

“I dunno, months ago?” She shrugged

“Can you tell me more?” Jared leaned in towards where she was sitting at the opposite side of the couch.

“He worked in Diavolo’s inner circle. I could tell he was new.”

“Why?”

“He was shaky, hesitant, terrified. He clutched onto this Cuban girl like she was his lifeline.”

That got Jared’s attention. He swiped to show her another picture on his phone, “Her?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, “What’s her name?” She looked off into the distance and snapped her fingers a couple times, “Yes! Gabriella!”

This was news to Jared. “They knew each other?”

A young Korean girl in between them added, “They were part of Diavolo’s inner circle. I saw them at a Super Bowl party I was working this year.”

‘ _Wait? Super Bowl. That was right before Diavolo’s takedown. It was also only a few months ago. He was alive as of a few months ago! We’re getting somewhere!’_

“Was anyone else with them?”

“Yeah, a Chinese girl, a blonde, and a Mexican guy.” The Korean girl replied.

Jared tried not to sound too eager. He knew he couldn’t risk raising red flags. He had come too far. “Do you know any names?”

The girl thought for a few seconds, “...I know the Chinese girl is Marie. I’m pretty sure the Mexican dude is either Luis or Lucas. Something like that. The blonde, Autumn, Spring, Summer, something like that.”

“Do you know where I could find them? Anyway I could contact them?” He looked at all the girls, hoping that perhaps one knew a way to get in contact with these people.

If they were even still alive.

The girls thought for a few moments before the Korean girl offered, “Yeah we got nothing. I’ll ask around though.”

“Thanks.”

He felt like he was making significant progress. He didn’t want to be too hopeful, but he felt like he was closer than ever to cracking this wide open.

* * *

 

There was a sharp twist and a snap of a joint. A cry of pain. Old Nick’s devious smile, “You cry so beautifully, my angel.” He moved his smooth hand from cracking Richard’s fingers still restrained above his head, to a soft yet firm hold of his jaw. “Let’s move to somewhere else, huh angel. Give them a good show.” He gestured to the camera with his free hand. Keeping a firm grasp on Richard’s jaw he tapped his nose, “We haven’t touched this in a while.” He held Richard’s jaw firmly in place and sent a powerful blow to his nose making it crack and snap like a wishbone. The pain was almost blinding as blood started pouring out of his nose down his sweaty beaten face.

His deafening screams made Nick smile, “That’s it. Cry. Cry for me.” His voice slow and menacing. “You know how much I love your screams, angel.”

He relished it for a while until he heard a knock on the door. His slim shoulders fell as he looked at his Fitbit, “It looks like our time together is coming to a close for now.” Richard’s shoulders fell in relief. “We’re in need of a grand finale.” He looked at the camera, “What do you guys think?” He walked over towards a laptop next to the camera tripod. He looked at the comment section next to the livestream feed, “Nah, nah, nah, Uh-huh, uh-huh. Takes too long to set up. Nah, nah, nah. Aha! An oddy but a goodie.” He excitedly rubbed his hands together and walked back over.  

He smiled as he roughly pulled Richard to his side by his shoulder that not too long ago had been dislocated. Richard yelped at the pain. Old Nick tightly squeezed his hands around Richard’s neck, effectively cutting off the oxygen supply. His grip grew tighter and tighter. Richard could feel his esophagus tightening. His head spun as he instinctively grasped for air and his body writhed before going limp. He was only able to get it in short quick gasps. His eyes were wide like a wild animal. Richard could feel himself fading away. He welcomed it. His arms started to relax as much as they could in the chains, his heart which once was racing now was under dangerously slow. He felt his vision start to close in on him. Just as Richard was certain he was about to lose consciousness,

He stopped.

Richard instinctively threw his head back and gasped for air. He felt like he was drowning on dry land.  It wasn’t until he saw the door open that he comprehended what was going on.

_‘You’re still here. You’re still here.’_

‘ _What a shame.’_

‘ _Stop!’_

Old Nick left him again in darkness as he slammed the steel door.

As Nick walked down the small dimly lit concrete hallway he pulled the black knit ski mask of his head.  His right hand man, Joe, caught up with him, “You know who you actually have in there?”

Nick wondered where he was going with this, “What do you mean?”

“His name.”

Nick’s eyebrows rose, “Never found out. I really don’t give a damn what he’s called. Why do you?”

“I happened across some things. You’re going to enjoy this. _A lot._ ”

“ _Oh?”_ He stopped walking down the hall and turned towards Joe.

“His name is Richard Hendricks. Before being declared dead by the FBI he ran a company called, Pied Piper-”

“Dumb name.” Nick commented, “Continue.”

“They recently became big with his decentralized internet.”

“ _And?”_ Nick wondered how this would benefit him.

“His internet is secure, anonymous, and _untraceable_.” Joe smiled and raised his eyebrows.

Nick knew what he was insinuating. A million sadistic ideas ran through his head, “Does he have any friends, family?”

“As far as I can tell. He was close to the higher ups in the company. This company was his life’s work.”

He gave an evil smile with a chuckle, “The last live show before our move is coming up quickly. It’s going to be one to remember.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up
> 
> Shit's going to go down for a while and I'm excited.


	31. World On Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old Nick taunts Richard. Jared finds a lead that blows the case wide open. Gilfoyle opens an email that changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit really starts to go down. I'm super excited!  
> Title from World on Fire; Les Friction

Old Nick sauntered into the cell with a sinister grin. “Oh my little angel. You’ve been keeping secrets from me.”  He stood towering over Richard who didn’t even look up. Old Nick firmly wrapped his thick long fingers around Richard’s slender chin, “Oh come on angel. You know how I love those baby blues. Look at me.” He lifted Richard’s dirty scruffy chin towards him. Forcing Richard to look into Old Nick’s icy blue eyes. Richard’s eyes were devoid of any emotion of substance. Nick let out a slight chuckle, “Some very interesting developments came to my attention...Richard.” His eyes slightly widened. It was the first time Old Nick had called him by his name. Normally, Nick never bothered to learn the names of his victims. He didn’t care enough to. Although after learning about Richard, he did a little digging.

“I’ve looked into you, Richard.” Nick dropped his chin and Richard let his head drop, not looking back at Old Nick. He stood in front of Richard with his hands behind his back. “You’re a smart guy. Very smart. A genius really.”

Richard wondered what this had to do with anything, why Old Nick cared, and how he would use this against him.

“Founder of Pied Piper.” A shock coursed through Richard’s body making him shiver as he looked up with wide eyes. It seemed like it was a lifetime since he last heard that name. Nick was satisfied with the response, “Dumb name. A predatory flutist? Really? In this day and age... Alright.” He started to pace the rancid cell.  “A decentralized internet. Secure. Anonymous. Untraceable.” A smile crawled across his lips. “Impressive. I’m sure you had the best of intentions.”

Richard’s breath subtly sped up as he worried where Nick was going with this. Nick left the cell for just a moment and brought in the tripod, camera, and laptop. He shut the heavy metal cell door and began to set up the equipment. “I have my own intentions.”

Suddenly Richard made the connection. His chest contracted, his throat tightened, he couldn’t breathe. A small, “No” escaped his lips.

Old Nick turned around from setting up the equipment and smiled, “You really are a genius. You’re ahead of me.”

He stopped setting up and leaned against the concrete wall. “You know, they never really gave a shit about you. Pied Piper doesn’t need you. The company’s doing just fine without you. In fact it’s _flourishing_ .” He walked closer towards Richard, “Because they _finally_ got rid of the _dead weight_ . They don’t need you. We all know who’s the weakest link in the chain. You yourself admitted multiple times that you had no idea what you were doing. That’s why the fired you as CEO before, right? Because you kept failing. Because you’re a _failure_. You break everything you touch.”

Richard kept giving haggard deep breaths which rattled his several broken ribs.

Nick raised his eyebrows and put his hands behind his back, “As for your so-called _‘friends_ ’ I highly doubt they _actually_ give a damn about you. They just wanted you for your brain. Your billion dollar idea. Once you got the idea out, they don’t need you anymore. They don’t _want_ you anymore. They got what they wanted. The ideas from your head.  How long do you think it took for them to notice you were gone? I’d say a couple days _at least._ I think they’re happy to think you’re dead. Because then they don’t have to worry about you fucking up the company _again._ They were probably more than happy and quick to move control of Pied Piper to a new CEO. Someone who _actually_ knows what they’re doing. Like they finally had a valid excuse to get a new CEO and not have you fighting back. I bet you, they didn’t give two shits about your disappearance. I bet you they barely even looked for you.”

Richard’s insecure, traumatized, impressionable mind believed everything Old Nick was saying. _‘No one noticed when you were never home because you were working with Gavin Belson. No one gave a shit about Pied Piper until the bidding war. You were about to be kicked out of the house.’_

Old Nick could see the wheels turning in Richard’s mind, “You’re utterly useless. You’re better off dead to them. You’re nothing more than a _nuisance_ .” He stared down at Richard, meeting his deep blue eyes, “Even if you ever saw them again, they wouldn’t want you. _Nobody_ could _ever_ look at you the same way again. They wouldn’t want to. Nobody wants a broken whore.”

Richard’s impressionable mind ran at a thousand miles an hour, _‘You destroy everything you touch. They are better off without you.’_

He got up close to Richard and grabbed his jaw with a firm yet gentle grasp, “Face it. I’m all you have left, angel.”

He stared Richard down into his soul, before letting go of his jaw.  “We’re going to go on a little trip. A move actually.” Richard’s eyebrows curled in confusion, “Seeing some of my other business associates. Out of the few I have here, you’re the only one I’ve decided to take with me. I’ll be able to give you more _personalized attention_ .” He ran his hand through Richard’s matted curls, intentionally tightly pulling on them before releasing his grip. “I also have more connections there. So they’re be a sharp increase in clients...you’ll _always_ be busy.”

Richard’s face went blank, his jaw slightly ajar. His body went limp, only being kept up straight by his arms hanging from the chain attached to the bar on the wall.

“We leave tomorrow. I’ll come get you. You try _anything_ and you’re dead. You’re little ‘friends’ at Pied Piper, are dead.” He got up and started to leave, “I need to run an errand before we stream.”

“What about Summer?”

Nick quickly turned around. It was rare to hear Richard speak. Let alone ask a question. Richard even elaborated, “The young blonde, who was taken with me.”

Nick remembered, “She didn’t work out.”

Richard knew what that meant.

 

Nick walked out of the room and found his right hand man, “Is everything set for tomorrow?”

“Yes. Bags are packed, we’re clearing this place, and I just received your passports this morning from Steve. He’s the best in the business. No one will be able to tell.”

“Good. In my digging I found we have a mole in our operation.”

“ _Oh?_ ” 

“Find Martin or Jared or whatever the fuck his name is. Greenlight his ass. Teach him a lesson. No one betrays my trust like that and gets away with it.” He was about to go back into the cell but turned around for a moment, “Remember to get photos, video, any evidence really. After we get there I want to show this fucker how I killed his boyfriend.”

“Got it, Boss.”

* * *

 Jared had just finished getting a nightcap with Johnny D and was coming back to his large house in suburban Sacramento. “Hey, so I just a new girl from Nick. She’s young if you want to check her out. Won’t even charge you, haha.” He gave Jared a playful shove as they entered Johnny’s large open plan kitchen.

Jared shook his head, “Nah, you know me, Johnny. I don’t fuck where I work and I don’t work where I fuck.” This was the excuse Jared gave whenever someone offered him sex. They found it a little suspicious but they went with it.

“You’re an odd one, Martie.”

“You’ve got to compartmentalize. Keep your personal and professional lives separate.”

Johnny grimaced as sat down at the bar and grabbed the whiskey decanter and a nearby glass and poured himself some whiskey. He gestured towards Jared who was sitting next to him if he wanted any. Jared shook his head. Johnny nodded as he drank the warm amber liquid in one gulp. “I’m going to hit the hay. I’m beat. You can let yourself out.”

Jared nodded and slightly waved his hand, “Goodnight.” as Johnny left and went up the spiral staircase up to the second floor.

Jared waited a couple minutes before to ensure that the coast was clear before leaving the kitchen. He wanted to ask this new girl from Nick if she knew anything. He nor many others had heard or seen much of Nick’s operation due to his secrecy. If he could get some info from this new girl, it could be a real breakthrough. Which would be especially great because he had recently hit a wall with how much the others were willingly wanting to share in casual conversation about their operations.

He walked through the large ornate hallway into the dark large living room where several girls were lounging on the couch watching some horror movie on tv.

“Hey.” He gave a small wave, the girls barely looked up.

A young brunette shushed him while looking at the screen, “Michael Myers is just about to kill this dumb asshole.”

Jared stepped closer to the deep brown leather couch, “Halloween. Good choice.”

He had seen a couple of the girls before during a previous visit to Johnny’s house. Although he did notice the new one. She was curled up on the opposite end of the couch in sweats and a large hoodie. Which he found odd since it was May in California during a heatwave. She had long blonde hair and didn’t look any older than 17 or 18.

He walked over towards her and stood next to her, “Hey, you new here?”

She barely looked up and raised her eyebrows, “Yeah, why?”

“I haven’t seen you around.”

“Well that’s why.” She focused on the movie.

“I’m looking for someone. They owe me money. Mind looking at a picture or two?”

She rolled her eyes and looked back at him, “Fine.”

Jared brought up the picture on his phone and handed it to her. He noticed her face go as white as a sheet look like a deer in headlights. She almost dropped the phone as she quickly collected herself as to not attract attention from the girls around her. She looked back up at him “I’m sorry. I don’t know him.” Her reaction gained the attention of the other girls. She handed the phone back to him.

Jared nodded and slid the phone back in the pocket of his blue pants. He knew what she was doing.

“I’m going to get some more drinks if anyone wants anything.” She got up, the girls shook their heads with their attention back on the movie.

“I’ll come with you.” Jared volunteered as he followed her into the kitchen. She charged in front of him and turned on the kitchen faucet to dilute the sounds of their voices. Jared was quickly behind her.

“Holy shit! Holy fucking shit!” She kept muttering

“What?”

She turned towards him, “You’re him. You’re Jared. He wouldn’t shut up about you.”

“What?” He didn’t know how she knew his real name. He wondered if his cover was in jeopardy.

“He was going to call you, you know. We needed someone we could trust.”

Jared got closer and scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, “What?”

“Before the escape went to shit.” Her eyes searched the room before turning back to Jared, "It wasn't his fault."

“What’s going on? You know him?” He stepped closer as he put the pieces together, “Oh, oh my god. You’re-you’re Summer. You worked in Diavolo’s inner circle. You know Richard.”

Her voice turned small and distant, “Yeah...yeah I did.”

* * *

Late that night Gilfoyle was still sitting in his own office. He took a short mental break from coding to check his emails. He scanned through mostly useless emails about meetings and training for the new employees. He saw one that peaked his interests from the engineering team with the subject line, ‘Code Review Results’. He clicked it and was confused to notice that the email was to Monica and Jared as well and Dinesh and himself. Monica and Jared didn’t get code reviews. It wasn’t their area. He saw that there was just a line of hyperlinked text in the body of the email.

_Sometimes, what’s dead doesn’t stay dead._

Gilfoyle squinted his eyes in confusion before cautiously clicking the link.

It directed him to a simple PiperNet page with just a moderately sized video window in the middle and some thumbnails for videos on one side with a comment section on the other. Each comment more vile than the last. He saw users giving money to give requests. Below the video player it said, ‘streaming now’.

The video showed a thin man of average height wearing a black ski mask repeatedly beat another man on the stomach and chest with a belt. The second man was chained to the concrete wall by his hands letting out heart wrenching screams of agonizing pain.

It was the second man that caught Gilfoyle’s attention. He looked closely, “No. N-n-no. It can’t be. It can’t be. H-he’s dead. He's dead.” His throat constricted and his lungs tightened. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Like someone had knocked the wind out of him.

The second man looked like he had got 13 rounds with Rocky Balboa and lost. His left eye was black and blue, his nose was crooked, blood ran down his face from a cut on his head. His dark honey brown curls were matted down and covered in sweat, he had multiple lacerations, including his broken nose. Gilfoyle noticed the dark bruises scattered around the man’s neck, like he had been choked within an inch of his life.

The man wasn’t wearing a shirt so Gilfoyle could see his chest was beet red with fresh blood and welts from the belt. The man was so skinny Gilfoyle could easily count his ribs. He saw seemingly endless scars, cuts, bruises, and swelling. His dirty jeans were covered in stains which Gilfoyle assumed were bodily fluids. What really caught his attention was the puzzle piece shaped scar around his collarbone. It looked like a burn. A brand. Like he was someone’s property.

Gilfoyle still couldn’t deny he recognized the battered face and heart wrenching screams of the man, “Richard?”

He watched in horror as the man in the black ski mask repeatedly beat Richard with a belt on the chest and stomach causing him to cry out and lose his breath. As soon as he’d get it again he’d get beaten making him lose it again.

“H-how? How is...how is he still alive?” Gilfoyle felt paralyzed, he just sat with wide eyes staring at the screen and his heart racing a thousand miles an hour.

He knew that Jared was right all along. Richard was still alive and was passed to someone else prior to the Feds moving in on Diavolo. He knew that Diavolo was a human trafficker and this guy was probably a friend of his. In the same line of work.

Gilfoyle had the harrowing realization that seeing a brutal beating was very much the vanilla shit of what this man was most likely doing to Richard on and off camera.

Gilfoyle’s jaw dropped and he actively tried not to vomit, even though he had a tough stomach. He took a couple deep breaths in an effort to collect himself. He swallowed back some vomit and took another deep breath. It was a losing battle. He grabbed his trash can and hurled a few times before regaining his composure.  He took a couple deep breaths as he pulled some cheap bourbon from his desk drawer and filled his Drink Coffee Hail Satan mug to the brim before taking a gulp. After rinsing his mouth he took another gulp. He put the mug down as he breathed a sigh of relief at the taste and the warmth the drink gave him.

He grabbed his phone and immediately called Jared. It went straight to voicemail. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re up to or where you are. Answer the fucking phone! You were right and the rest of us majorly fucked up and we need to fix it **_right fucking now_ ** ! Get your ass over here **_now!_ ** Also you got an email with the subject line, ‘Code Review Results’ it is **_not_ ** the results! Do **_not_ ** open it! Under any circumstances!”

He called Dinesh only for it to go to voicemail. He gave Dinesh a similar message. He called Monica and simply told her that he wasn’t coming over that night and was spending the night at work and that she needed to get over here stat and warned her not to check her emails.

Finally he called the FBI agents that were in charge of the previously closed case. “You incompent bureaucratic fuckups. Richard Hendricks is still alive. I have proof.”

As he spoke with them he began furiously typing trying to figure out where the fuck this stream was coming from.


	32. Let The Sky Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilfoyle tries to figure out where the stream is coming from and who is running it. Jared learns important information from Summer about Richard's time with Diavolo, especially, how it ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by; Run This Town; Rihanna and Jay-Z, World on Fire; Les Friction, Skyfall; Adele
> 
> I'm super excited about this guys! This is a longer chapter!

Dinesh hastily parked and ran into the building and over to the elevator. As he rode up the elevator to the upper management offices he couldn’t help but wonder what caused Gilfoyle’s urgent voicemail. He didn’t open the email. His main thought was that they were hacked.

Well...he wasn’t 100% wrong.

He rushed into GIlfoyle’s office, “What’s wrong?”

Gilfoyle barely looked away from his monitors where he was furiously typing, “Where the fuck have you been?”

“Trying to sleep. Like a normal person.” He walked closer and sat down in a soft chair in front of his desk.

“Why didn’t you answer?”

“My phone died. What’s wrong? Were we hacked?” He assumed that one was of the only reasons he would be so urgently called to the office in the middle of the night.

Gilfoyle glanced up from his monitors for a moment, “Jared was right. Richard’s alive.”  
Dinesh’s jaw dropped, “W-w-w-what? What are you talking about?”

Gilfoyle was back to looking at his monitors, “Someone else has Richard. They’re using PiperNet to stream live. They emailed us the link. Probably to taunt us. You didn’t check your email, did you?”

Dinesh still hadn’t wrapped his head around what was happening. “N-no.” He ran his hand through his hair, “Slow down. What the fuck is going on?”

Gilfoyle looked up again, “Richard’s alive. Some other fucker has him. He’s using Pipernet to livestream some pretty graphic shit. What don’t you understand?” He looked back down at his monitors, “The Feds and Monica are on their way. Have you heard from Jared recently?”

Dinesh was still trying to comprehend all this, “No. No I haven’t. How did he get around our safeguards against this kind of content?”

“I already got the automatic notification that we were breached. He created a backdoor with some kind of virus. I’m still trying to figure it out.” Gilfoyle groaned in frustration at something on his screen which grabbed Dinesh’s attention, “Damn it! I’ve been trying to figure out where this is coming from but I keep hitting dead ends.” Due to the decentralized nature of the platform, finding the streaming location was almost impossible. He had noted before how it was an experimental network that couldn’t be controlled or destroyed.  

Gilfoyle had seen various other videos that were recently uploaded hoping that there was something in them that he could use to identify a location. A window outside, a face, a name being called, anything, but he had come up with nothing of use so far. In doing this he had seen what this man was capable of. Gilfoyle’s fears had been confirmed. The beating he had seen earlier was very much, the vanilla shit.

Dinesh started offering suggestions which prompted Gilfoyle to look up from his monitors and violently pound his fist on his desk, “DON’T YOU THINK I FUCKING TRIED ALL THAT ALREADY!?! WE BUILT A FUCKING BLACKHOLE AND THIS FUCKER IS USING IT AGAINST US! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FUCKING STOP HIM!”

Dinesh flinched at the outburst. In all the years he had known Gilfoyle, he could count on one hand the amount of times he has screamed like that. He had _never_ seen him this upset and angry. He didn’t need to see the videos to know that it was really bad. Gilfoyle’s reaction said it all.

Dinesh took a couple moments to collect himself and attempt to wrap his head around all of this. He pulled his laptop from his bag and opened it. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Dinesh looked up confused, “Help you figure out where this is streaming from. Why?”

“Don’t you fucking dare touch your keyboard.” Dinesh curled his lips about to ask why but thought for a moment. Gilfoyle answered his unasked question, “This fucking guy is probably a friend of the other fucking guy. Do the math.” As Gilfoyle went back to work Dinesh’s face collapsed and his stomach started doing backflips so hard he instinctively felt like he was going to puke. He gagged which caused Gilfoyle to add without looking up, “Don’t vomit on my floor. My trash can’s over here.” Dinesh grabbed the trash can as a precaution when he noticed it had already been used that night. Dinesh looked up at him with a dropped jaw. Gilfoyle didn’t acknowledge him.

Dinesh knew this was GIlfoyle’s way of protecting him from seeing his friend, that he recently thought was dead, get brutally assaulted on camera. Dinesh would have to see the streams in order to figure out where they’re coming from or find any useful information.

“What do you need me to do?”

“I don’t fucking know. Just anything but that.”

Agents Burke and Shaw charged into his office with Monica closely behind, “Gilfoyle. What the fuck’s going on?”

“You’re not going to believe this.”

* * *

“What do you know about Richard? Is he still alive? Where is he?” Jared jumped at the chance to ask these questions to someone who truly may know the answers.

“As far as I know he’s still alive.” She started pacing the open plan marble and dark wood kitchen.

Jared was taken by the second have of her statement but then remembered the first half, “Wait? What do you mean by, as far as you know.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since…” Her voice drifted off and she looked at her wringing hands.

“Since when?”

She was still looking down at her hands, “Since the failed escape. When it all went to shit.”

He cautiously walked up to her with voice soft and gentle, “What happened with the escape?”

He was only about a foot away from her but he was too close for her comfort. She backed away and started pacing around the marble kitchen island, “He’d talk about you a lot. His friends. His company. I told him that Pied Piper is a stupid name.”

He humored her for a moment, “What did he say?”

“That’s what everyone else said.” Jared momentary had a small smile, “I respect that he stood by it.”

She continued to pace, “Being stuck with someone with frequent severe panic attacks fucking sucks. Luckily Gabriella had her shrinky skills to help him out. Constantly working on breathing exercises, meditation, getting his mind off it by talking about anything. We all had nothing else to do so we joined in. Got very zen during those months.”

Jared knew what she was dong. He asked about the escape and she immediately got uncomfortable and started talking about things that were pretty irrelevant. It was clear that she didn’t want to talk about it, or what came after. It was a delaying tactic.

Although he couldn’t indulge her much longer. Jared had to know what happened. He gently prodded, “Summer, what happened with the escape?” He knew it was obviously nothing good, but knew it could lead to something.

She wrung her hands and started to pace faster. Jared’s face softened as he sighed. He knew he was probably going to have to slowly and gently pull this out of her.

“When was this?”

She didn’t look at him, “Around the Super Bowl.” Jared’s jaw slightly fell. It was only a few months earlier. Right before they caught Diavolo. “It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t a bad plan, actually. We just..” She compulsively picked at her nails, “We just...we just needed more time.” It was clear to Jared that she had thought about this escape a lot.

“What prompted this?”

She stopped picking her nails and folded her arms, her pacing around the kitchen got faster, “She told us not to look. She tried to get him off him. It wasn’t his fault.”

“What happened? Did something happen during the Super Bowl?”

She unconsciously picked her nails before stopping and folding her arms again. She stopped pacing, “Luis. He didn’t...he didn’t meet his quota.” She rubbed her face with her hoodie sleeve.

A pit of dread settled in Jared’s stomach. He had a grim feeling he knew where this was going. He slowly walked towards where she was standing next to the stainless steel stove, “Did something happened to Luis?”

She looked at him then back down again, “He beat him. In front of us.” Jared’s stomach dropped, “Not uncommon. But he _just wouldn’t stop_. He finally put him out of his pain by shooting him. Gabriella told us not to look, but he made us...Then he just...left him there. For what seemed like forever.” She finally looked up at him, “I hear they caught him. Did they ever find Luis’s body?”

Jared’s face went white as a sheet, his jaw was dropped and he couldn’t formulate a coherent thought. He tried to collect himself and tried to remember his next question. “Are you talking about Diavolo? Who...killed...Luis.”

“Timmer. His right hand.”

He deeply swallowed and nodded. He knew about Timmer’s involvement with Diavolo and his ring. “Um...um-um and this happened after?”

“Yeah. Like I said, we just...needed more time.”

“Whose idea was it?”

“Richard’s. He said...he knew that we would all go the way of Luis. He knew that there was no one coming for us.” Jared’s stomach sank. His only hope for Richard was that he knew that Jared was moving heaven and hell to find him and bring him home. “We all agreed.” She was quick to add, “What happened wasn’t his fault. We all knew it could kill us. We could have _never_ predicted what he would do to Richard and me.”

Jared got closer but Summer backed away. Jared respected her space, “What was the plan?”

Summer curled her finger through her long blond hair with her other arm still barred across her chest, “No one had thought of it before. Not that we knew of.” She looked up at him, “He took a swiss army knife off a drunk john who didn’t notice. It had a screwdriver attachment.” Jared curled his face in confusion, “We used the screwdriver to pry open the door. We pried out the screws. Then unscrewed the vent in the hallway.”

Jared’s face softened as he thought about it, “And vents lead outside. That’s smart.”

Summer nodded as she curled her finger through her hair, “Yeah, that’s what we said.” She raised her eyebrows and scoffed, “We actually tasted fresh oxygen. We were all in shock that this could _actually_ work.”

“What happened?”

“...He found out.”

“How?”

She tightly shut her eyes, engulfed in the memories she’d always try to forget and kept her arms tightly folded over her chest, “We were surrounded by fence and-and barbed wire. We-we-we didn’t have time. There wasn’t enough time. We couldn’t dig out. We tried. He said, ‘you thought you could outrun me. How adorable.’ Then...then he...he had Timmer shoot Marie. She was trying to scale the fence. There was blood everywhere.” Her breathing became erratic and swallow. She began quickly pacing around the kitchen island.

Jared stood in shock, trying to keep himself calm for Summer. “And he caught you guys.”

She shook her head, “No. We ran. We couldn’t stop...until we did.”

“What happened?”

“A log. A fucking log happened!” He looked at her for clarification, “Gabriella tripped over a log. She broke her ankle. She couldn’t run anymore.” Her breathing was still quick and desperate, “She knew we couldn’t bring her with us. It would be suicide.”

Jared lost his breath and put his hand over his mouth to cover his shock, “You had to leave her behind.”

Summer shook her head, “Richard wouldn’t have it. But Gabriella and I knew it what had to be done. There was a bush nearby. She said to cover her in the bush and have someone come get her.” She scoffed at the thought, “We both knew it wouldn’t work, but Richard...he was heavily enough in denial to think that it would.” She looked downwards and continued to pace around the counter until stopped and clinging on to the maghony framing and the marble countertop . “We ran...and ran...and ran. You know...when people say ‘run for your life’ they rarely _actually mean it_.” Jared gulped and slightly nodded his head as he listened, “Until we couldn’t run anymore. We reached the end of the property. I will always remember the howls of those damn dogs following us. We both knew that we couldn’t get out. We...we weren’t getting out of there alive...I told him it wasn’t his fault. That we knew it could end this way. You know what he asked?” Jared didn’t really want to know, “If dying hurt.” His heart shattered, “I told him that I heard it was as quick as falling asleep...the sun was starting to peak out through the clouds as Timmer and his guys moved in. I told him...to look at that. Look at the sun. To make it the last thing that you see...but it wasn’t. It wasn’t the last thing that we saw.”

“They...they didn’t kill you.”

“We were wordlessly brought back to that damn cellar. They didn’t lay a hand on us. We saw Gabriella there. Which was a shock. I immediately noticed there was something wrong.”

“That she was shot.” Jared finished

She nodded, “Yeah. It took Richard a few moments. He…” She started fiddling with the drawstrings on her large blue hoodie, “He started to furiously try to save her.” Jared took a deep breath. For he remembered all too well what happened to Gabriella. “We both knew it was a gut shot. She needed _immediate_ medical care to have a shot in hell. We just had a couple pieces of old gauze...he was in denial...then he wasn’t.”

“W-what happened?”

“He freaked out. He broke down….she tried...to comfort him.” She shook her head while fiddling with the drawstrings, “He was inconsolable. She said that it was okay. He said it wasn’t. That he was going to save her. Pay it back….She had saved him...in every way imaginable. He wouldn’t survived that long if it wasn’t for her. He was  _very_ aware of that.”

“He...he saw it as more than just helping her.”

She looked up at him, “Of course.”

Jared ran his fingers through his hair with a deep breath, “Then what happened?”

“Then he came. He took us away. Had to rip Richard off her.”

“Who? Diavolo?”

She stopped fiddling with her hoodie drawstrings and looked back up at him, “Old Nick.”

Jared’s stomach and jaw dropped. His heart rate sped up to a mile a minute and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. His blood rushed hot through him. “You know him?”

“Yeah I fucking know him.” She noticed his tone went from shocked and gentle to seething anger.

“I met up with him and his friends three months ago! I had no idea. He’s so secretive.” His voice turned desperate as well as angry, “Where is he? WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS HIS BASE!?”

She backed up away from him, her arms protectively in front of her chest, “I don’t know!”

“You were with him, right?!” She nodded with wide eyes, “WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS OLD NICK?” His voice started getting louder but not loud enough to disturb the others in the house.

“Stop yelling!” She covered her ears with her hands and backed up against the steel oven and slid down.

Jared stopped when he remembered that she was clearly traumatized and her shutting down would only hurt his mission. He took a few calming breaths. He carefully walked towards her and knelt down in front of her, “Why did Old Nick let you go?” His voice as calm and gentle as he could muster.

She looked down at picking at her nails again, “He had Johnny D over. He liked me so Nick sold me to him.”

Jared knew who he was talking about now when Johnny D talked about getting someone new from Old Nick, “Where did he keep you?”

She started furiously pulling and fussing with the drawstrings. She couldn’t look at him, “It was so dark you couldn’t see shit. Soundproof so you couldn’t hear shit. Concrete. It smelled rotten. Like death.”

“Do you have _any_ clue where it is?” He knew that Old Nick lived in Seattle, but it was a rather large city of almost a million people. He needed more.

She shook her head then covered it with her hands, “I don’t know. I was blindfolded when Johnny took me to his car.”

“Did he take it off?”

“Yeah, a couple minutes after I got in the car.”

“Did you see anything? Any landmarks? Signs?”

She thought for awhile, “It was really dark, but I saw a lot of trees.”

“Like a forest?”

“Maybe.”

Jared grabbed out his phone. He noticed he had endless notifications from Dinesh, Monica, and Gilfoyle. He ignored them. He thought this was more important. He opened the maps app and looked around Seattle for the closest forest. He quickly found it, Tiger Mountain National Forest. “You wouldn’t know how long it took to get here? Do you?”

“A fucking long time. It was dark again by the time we got here.”

“Maybe 12 hours or so.” Jared guessed.

“Sure.” She shrugged

He got up offered his hand to help her up, “Let’s go.” He cocked his head towards the back door.

Her eyes widened, “Why?”

“Because I’m not leaving you with a dangerous pimp. Also, it’s a big forest. I’m going to need help. You can help me find the exact place.”

Her eyes widened like a wild animal and she crawled backwards away from him, “No-no-no-no-no-no. You can’t make me go back there! You can’t make me go back there! NO!”

He was surprised by her outburst and knelt back down. His voice gentle and calm to match his face. He was about to gently touch her shoulder in consolation but knew that touching a traumatized person normally didn’t end well. “Okay, you don’t have to go with me, but you can’t stay here.” He pulled a pen and pad out of his pocket. “Here’s the address of some friends of mine. Dinesh and Gilfoyle. Tell them I sent you. They’ll take care of you.” He ripped off the paper and handed it to her. “My number’s at the bottom. Do you have a phone?” She nodded, “Do you have it with you? Or does he keep it?”

“I have it.”

“Good. Keep me updated.” He pulled some cash from his wallet, “That should be more than enough for a bus and food. I’ll give you a ride to the bus station. Palo Alto’s not too far from here. You should be there maybe two hours. I’m going to catch the first flight to Seattle. We have to leave right now.”

“Johnny’s going to be _really_ mad. What if he finds me?” Her voice now sounded small and vulnerable.

Jared nodded and pulled a moderately sized folding knife from his jacket pocket. He demonstrated pulling it out before putting it back in then handed it to her, “If he or any of his guys come at you. Stab them with the pointy end.”

Summer looked at the knife and put it in her hoodie pocket with her cash and cell phone, “I wish...I wish I had someone who cares _this much_ about me.” He was struck by her words, “To do something so stupid and reckless and _deadly_ as to willingly enter the criminal underworld to find someone you care about. You must really love him.”

His face softened again, “I do.”

“Well then go get your boy. Because he has something he wants to tell you.” Jared’s face scrunched in confusion again with her statement. She meant the survival goal Richard made with Gabriella.

They were about to leave when Jared had an idea. He pulled out his pad again and some cash.

“What are you doing?”

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. I’m making sure Johnny doesn’t come after you.” She looked at what he scribbled on the pad,

_Johnny,_

_Hope you don’t mind, took the blonde. Couldn’t resist. Hope this is enough._

_Martin_

He put a couple hundreds next to the note and left it on the marble kitchen island, “What if he does have a problem with it?”

“Well then he’ll come after me and not you.” He urged her, “Now come on. We have to go.”

* * *

It was the middle of the night, the lighting was limited at the bus station. There were multiple Greyhound and Megabuses outside the small station. There was supposed to be a bus leaving for Palo Alto shortly that Summer intended to be on. She was about to leave Jared’s Volt when she stopped, “Why are you being so nice to me? About everything. No one’s _ever_ been that _sincerely_ nice to me.”

He took a deep breath, “Because believe it not. I’ve more or less been where you are.” She gave him a confused stare. He clarified, “On the street, terrified, alone, relying on nothing but your survival skills and the generosity of others. Being taken advantage of. Feeling like you’ll never find your way out. Sometimes it just takes one person to pull you out. I got my GED, went to college. Before all this happened, I worked at the best company in the world with some of the best people. You’ll find your way.”

He watched her get out the car and into the small bus station. She came out a couple minutes later and boarded the bus. He was so focused with his new developments and  at least getting Summer to safety that he neglected to check his phone and the seemingly endless amount of messages from the FBI, Dinesh, GIlfoyle, and Monica. He finally looked and saw the burrage of texts, missed calls, and voicemails. The first voicemail he listened to was from Gilfoyle and most certainly caught his attention.

_Holy fuck this is the fifth voicemail I’ve left you. I don’t know where the fuck you are or what the fuck you’re doing but you were right. Richard’s alive. We have proof. CALL ANYONE OF US ASAP!_

He nearly dropped his phone. _‘How the fuck did they find out?’_ He saw he had a voicemail from a blocked number. He listened to it out of curiosity. Half expecting it to be some robocall.

He dropped the phone when he recognized the voice of Old Nick. He picked it up and listened to the voicemail with trembling fingers.

 _You fucked with the wrong man, Jared, or Martin. Whatever the fuck you’re calling yourself. I_ **_will_ ** _find you. I’m going to_ **_fuck you up._ ** _There won’t be anything left to identify. Then I’ll show it to your little broken boyfriend and show him how we do things._

He muttered with a trembling voice, “H-how did he fi-figure it out?”

A part of him, the rational part, said to go back to Palo Alto, and help them from there. The authorities could handle it.

The crazy in love with Richard part said, you’ve come _this far._ Why would you give up now? The authorities fucked up too many times before. You’re on the one yard line. All you have to do is go get him.

So he started driving to the Sacramento airport to board the first flight to Seattle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I've researched how a decentralized internet really works and what it's capabilities are. Does it really do what I need it do for the movement of the plot. Except I'm not a techie, so I didn't really understand any of it and canon was of no real help. But as a lover of whump and angst I couldn't resist someone like Old Nick using Pipernet for evil. So after a very long time, (I spent more time on this than I should have) I decided that it does what I need it to do, like Wakandan vibranium or Tony Stark's tech. If anyone can explain it to me in a way that the internet could not, by all means.


	33. Let Us Be Brave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilfoyle finds where the stream is coming from. Jared sets out to confront Old Nick. Richard makes a bold move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Weight of Us; Sanders Bohlke (yes, same song that gave the title) also inspired by Iron; Woodkid

Gilfoyle was furiously typing when he could feel Agent Shaw standing over his shoulder, staring at his screen, “What?”

“Have you found anything yet?”

He stopped typing and turned his chair around to give her bitch face, “Yes. I know exactly where Richard is. I just decided to keep it to myself for shits and giggles. Now I’m just hacking for fun.” Shaw’s face tightened at the remarks. “As well as how the platform is structured. He hasn’t exactly made it easy.” He turned back around and continued to type.

“I don’t get it. You helped make the platform.”

“And your point?”

“Well you guys designed your way into it, why don’t you just design your way out of it. What’s so hard about that?”

Gilfoyle stopped typing and turned to her to give a look so completely murderous everyone in the room was terrified. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Dinesh muttered, “Bitch, what did you just say? We’re engineers not wizards.”

This was infuriating to two full stack engineers who helped build a decentralized internet, a platform so technologically advanced and complex that a lot of people didn’t understand how it worked. Gilfoyle did not have the time nor the patience to dissect and explain everything wrong with her statement. His small amount of patience ran out a while ago. Gilfoyle’s seething anger came out in his calm murderous tone, “Do you have _any_ idea how our platform works?”

Agent Shaw suddenly knew the shit show she accidently walked into, “Well...no.”

“The shut the fuck up and let me fucking work.” He was about to turn around but commented, “Also, why the absolute fuck would you go all San Bernardino on us _now?_ I don’t know if you noticed, but it’s DEFCON 1 around here.”

He continued giving his murderous death glare at Agent Shaw for so long that Monica and Dinesh were certain they he was mere moments from punching her in the face. Monica got in between them, “Gilfoyle, how about you go get coffee or a drink. You know what, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. Go cool off before you punch her.”

Gilfoyle got up while still making intense eye contact then turning to leave his office. He walked down the hallway to the right was a conference room full of Feds trying to figure out what he was trying to figure out. Except they had no idea what they were doing because they had no idea how the platform worked.

Gilfoyle entered the restroom when his phone vibrated. He picked it up without looking, “What?”

“How did you figure it out? What do you have?”

“Jared, I don’t know where the fuck you are or what you’re doing but get the fuck over here _now_.” Gilfoyle paused when he heard what sounded like a female automated voice from a loudspeaker. He heard words like, ‘departing, gate, and TSA.’ He slightly curled his eyebrows, “Are you at an airport?”

“Yeah.”

There was something about Jared’s no nonsense and unsurprised tone that unsettled Gilfoyle. He looked under the stalls and saw that no one was there, “Why don’t you sound even remotely surprised about this groundbreaking news? What the fucking fuck are you up to?” Jared was silent. “And don’t say you’re not up to anything.”

He heard Jared take a deep breath, “...I _might_ have inside knowledge about Richard.”

Gilfoyle’s monotone turned deadly serious, “What the everloving fuck are you talking about?” Jared started stuttering, “Spit it out, Jared.”

So he did, “I know someone who knew someone who could connect me with Diavolo’s friends and figure out what _actually_ happened to Richard. I’ve been investigating on my own since before the memorial.”

Gilfoyle just stood in shock, completely frozen. He had no idea what to do with that information. Although now things made sense. Their conversation at Richard’s memorial made sense.

“I have more than enough evidence on these guys for a conviction and I just figured out more about Richard.” Jared uselessly thought perhaps that would make it better.

“What the everloving fuck is wrong with you, Jared?!” He was shocked by Gilfoyle’s outburst but in hindsight he shouldn’t have been. Gilfoyle tried to tone down his voice, “ _You_ , Frankenstein’s bulimic daughter, went undercover with a human trafficking ring?”

“Yes.”

“You are objectively fucking insane.” Gilfoyle took a deep breath, “But this is not my problem. I’ll put that aside and let the Feds that have swarmed our offices deal with that. What do you know?”

Jared updated him, “His name is Old Nick. He’s a friend of Diavolo’s. I don’t know much about his operation other than he works around Seattle, streams live via webcams on the darknet, and is _very_ secretive about his operation. He took Richard and another girl, Summer, when they all tried to escape Diavolo and the Feds just so happened to be closing in on him. I found Summer who told me all that. I also gave her you and Dinesh’s address so she’d have a place to go where someone would actually be there and she could be safe.”

“The fuck?” Gilfoyle’s head was spinning.

“It was the least I could do after everything she told me. I’m boarding a flight soon to Seattle.”

“No you’re fucking not.”

“How are you going to stop me?” Jared didn’t miss a beat.

Gilfoyle was stunned into momentary silence from the comeback, “...I could get the Feds to run your name. I bet they can find which airport you’re flying out of fairly quickly.”

Jared ignored the threat, “I don’t have much time. What do you know?”

Gilfoyle groaned and leaned against the side cold white tile wall of the men’s room. “We all got an email entitled Code Review Results. Except there was only hyperlinked text that said, ‘Sometimes what’s dead doesn’t stay dead.’ It lead to a PiperNet page. Created today. Dozens of graphic videos were uploaded today. Probably originated from the darknet you talked about. Including one that was streaming live.”

He could hear Jared gasp, “Oh no no no no no.”

“You caught on quickly. So far only the Feds and I have seen it. I’m working with them to figure out where but you could have already figured it out on your own.”

“Wait, you’re working with the Feds?”

Gilfoyle heard a female automated voice make a boarding announcement, “What can I say, adversity makes strange bedfellows.” Gilfoyle slightly changed the topic, “Do you have a last name? Any aliases?”

“No, sorry.”

“You know what this fuck is capable of. Right? Those videos are…” There was a few moments of silence, “We _need_ to get him, Jared. Soon.” Jared heard this calm anger and hurt that he had never heard from Gilfoyle before.

It scared Jared.

“But like I said. Only myself and the Feds have seen them so that we can try to get a location and/or identify anyone in them. I intend for it to stay that way. Seeing those videos, Richard...Richard looked rough. He looked like he’s been used as a punching bag. Honestly, I’m _shocked_ he’s survived this long.”

After a long pause between them Jared said, “My flight’s boarding. I have to go.”

“You know that we’re not in a damn movie. He will most likely kill you _and_ Richard if you confront him.”

“Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Gilfoyle heard his phone beep that the call had ended. He took a deep breath before punching the tile and walked away shaking his hurt fist.

He collected himself and walked back into the office where Agent Shaw informed him, “He ended the livestream. When he did he said that he was going to take off a few days because he’s moving his operation.”

Gilfoyle deeply sighed and rubbed his temple, “Well unless we find him in the next few hours then what I have to say means a hell of a lot less.”

* * *

 

When Jared got off the plane he noticed he had a text message from Gilfoyle.

_Found out he’s moving his operation today. You could be too late._

He almost dropped his phone muttering, “No, no no no.” He had come _this far_ , he _couldn’t_ lose Richard now.

If he did, he may never find him again.

Jared “borrowed” a car from the long term parking lot at the airport and raced towards Tiger Mountain National Forest. Praying that he wasn’t too late.

In the early morning hours the sun shone into the black Chevy sedan. Jared had only one thought, getting Richard back. Although another wormed its way into his mind. ‘ _What if Old Nick’s there when you arrive? What if his men are? What if this turns violent? It’s a real possibility. Especially with that voicemail from last night.’_

For a split second he regretted giving Summer his pocket knife but knew deep down it was the right thing to do. He remembered seeing a a tire iron in the trunk when he scoured to see if there was anything useful. Even though he knew Nick was always armed, he figured it was better than nothing.

His phone started vibrating in the cupholder next to him. He grabbed it and looked to see who it was. “Gilfoyle, you got anything?”

“Since his videos and stream on PiperNet were nothing but dead ends I started searching the darknet for where he could have previously streamed. I eventually found that it traced to some GPS coordinates about an hour outside Seattle”

“It wouldn’t happen to be Tiger Mountain National Forest? Would it?”

“Yeah.” Gilfoyle was surprised at the guess, “I’ll send you the coordinates. Beware, this could be him covering his tracks and continuing to fuck with us.”

Jared white knuckled the steering wheel and sped through rural roads where rich pine trees covered the sky like a canopy.

After _months_ of searching he _finally_ had a location. He couldn’t be late. Richard’s life depended on it. He hastily pulled up to a small inconspicuous cabin in the middle of nowhere. It looked just like any other cabin he’d seen on the drive up. He jumped out of the car and grabbed the tire iron from the trunk. He left the car running partly because he forget and partly in case he needed to get out in a matter of seconds if Nick came after them.

He ran up the steps onto the small porch. He realized that he needed to be stealthy, not go in guns blazing.

He put his hand on the round door knob and turned it. To his surprise, the door slowly opened with a creak. He slowly walked through the small disheveled cabin wielding the tire iron over his head, ready to strike. He first saw in the small living area an ugly red plaid couch with a small television. A laptop laid on the long wooden coffee table. Jared was careful not to touch anything. He searched in the small rustic kitchen with old appliances but found nothing. There wasn’t anyone in the tiny bathroom as well. He looked in the modest bedroom where there was a small closet. He looked at and made sure to look all around, but there was nothing there either. He walked back out with a deep sigh, lowering the tire iron. It seemed like neither Nick nor Richard were there. He had the creeping feeling that perhaps he was too late, or perhaps this wasn’t the right cabin in the first place and he was wasting his time.

Suddenly he remembered that Summer was kept somewhere concrete and soundproof. “Underground. Why didn’t I think of that earlier.” He muttered as he ran out of the cabin, searching the grounds for any kind of cellar or disturbed dirt. He searched under the porch for any secret doorways.

He walked back into the cabin to search it again,  calling Richard’s name, “Richard! Richard! It’s Jared! He’s not here! You’re safe now! I’m going to take you home!” When he heard and found nothing he leaned against the small kitchen island. “Fuck.” He muttered and covered his hand with his face. He truly wondered if he had the wrong cabin or if he just was too late. He nervously rapped his knuckles on the counter as he thought about his next move. As he knocked he realized something about the sound it was making. It was hollow, like there was nothing inside the counter. He curled his eyebrows and knocked more. Oddly suspicious. A hunch dawned on him. He tried to push the counter aside, putting all his weight behind it. To his surprise, his hunch was right, the counter moved and revealed a steel trapdoor.  

 

He took a deep breath and slide open the trap door to reveal a wooden ladder. He slowly descended down the ladder, tire iron in hand. Once he was down there, he was in a short dimly lit concrete hallway with four steel doors, two on either side. He tried to open the first door and was shocked that it was actually opened. He slowly opened the door and was immedtially smacked in the face with an intense, putrid, rotting, stench. He took a step back and covered his nose and mouth with his jacket. He started gagging when he saw the blood stained floor with speckles of white and the chains hanging from the wall. It looked like a crime scene out of a horror movie. He ran out and swiftly checked the three other cells. “Richard! Richard! It’s Jared! He’s not here! I’m here to take you home! You’re safe now! Richard!” He kept calling...but no response.

Richard wasn’t there.

Jared was too late.

He fell to his knees onto the hallway’s concrete floor with the tire iron falling down with a loud clank. He started sobbing so hard he couldn’t breathe and he violently shook with each heart wrenching sob. His heart was racing at a thousand miles an hour and he could feel his boiling hot blood rush through his body. He started gagging and eventually vomited onto the concrete. ‘ _You’re were too late. You failed him. You failed him. You were too late. This was all for nothing. He could be anywhere by now. You failed him. He could be lost forever now.’_

He felt like he had truly lost everything.

* * *

 

The SUV pulled into Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac). Sitting in the back, Richard anxiously fiddled with the sleeves of his grey long sleeve tee. The shirt and sweats covered up most of his bruises. Some dollar store concealer covered the rest. He was careful not to let his arm hang for it really hurt his recently dislocated shoulder.

Nick was sitting next to him. He turned to face Richard,  “You remember what I told you. _One_ move is all it takes. If you try _anything_ I _will_ kill you as soon as we get there. Then feed your dead corpse to their rabid dog population.”

Richard had no clue where he was being taken. He assumed they were going out of the country because they were flying.

He knew that if he left the country there wasn’t a shot in hell of him ever coming home again.

He’d never see Jared again.

 

Although he did know that wherever he was being taken, nothing but pain awaited him.

He knew he couldn’t handle anymore pain. Emotionally and physically.

He didn’t want to hurt anymore.

Nick grabbed the black duffel bag from the trunk and hurled it over his shoulder. He grabbed Richard’s sore wrist with a death grip and pulled him close. “Stay close. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t look at anyone. Got it?” Richard nervously shook his head and looked downwards. His gate had turned to a limp since his fractured knee didn’t heal well.

They walked inside and towards a self-check in kiosk. Nick fished two expertly forged passports from the duffel bag and pushed it back over his shoulder. He checked them in and grabbed the tickets from the machine. He tightly grabbed Richard’s wrist and headed them towards security. “When we get close I’ll give you the ticket and id to give to them. I want them back _immediately._ You got that?” He muttered with a deadly tone. Richard shakily nodded. “Good.”

The airport wasn’t busy for early in the morning, it was pretty quiet except for the overhead speaker system about departures and general announcements. As they walked towards the TSA screening area which wasn’t busy either, they walked through a seating area for an airport bakery. Richard looked up and saw a few businessmen and women in suits drinking coffee and eating pastries, each with small black rolling suitcase. Richard saw they were going to pass a condiment station with various condiments and utensils. He noticed the silverware wasn’t plastic but metal with a whimsical green notice in a plastic holder sitting next to it.

_SeaTac is doing its part for the environment by eliminating plastic utensils. Please return silverware once done to be washed and reused._

Around the message there were whimsical trees and recycling symbols.

Richard suddenly remembered a conversation from the cellar. Something Gabriella had told him.

_“If you can, there’s the spoons.” Marie whispered_

_“What?”_

_Gabriella explained, “It’s a practice used in things like forced marriages, human trafficking, and other abduction situations. If you are being brought on a plane against your will, put a metal spoon in your underwear. The metal detectors will find it and TSA will take you to safety and ask if you’re okay. Then you can disclose to them in what could be your only chance. I heard that it works.”_

_“So if someone ever decides to put you on the most regulated and public form of transport, you have an out. Great. Also you probably found this on the internet, therefore the bad guys probably know about it by now. Double great.” They could taste the sarcasm in Luis’s voice._

The survival instinct in him that _just wouldn’t quit_ told him to take a chance. Even though there was a good shot of Nick seeing what he was doing, figuring it out, and he’d be a dead man walking.

‘ _Well you already are a dead man walking. He’ll probably catch you. Then he’ll end it all once you get to wherever the fuck you’re going. The pain will be gone. What are the odds of the TSA will even notice? Let alone know what it means? The TSA notoriously misses things. I remember reading once that their failure rate can be as high as 80-95%. On the other side, what if Nick has them on the payroll like Diavolo and the cops? And that’s why he’s taking the risk of bringing me here. All those johns at all those parties and hotels. None of them noticed. None of them_ **_cared_ ** _. You were silently screaming, pleading for_ **_months_ ** _but no one_ **_did_ ** _anything. They knew why you were there and who brought you and that’s all they cared about. What makes you think that’s going to change now? Although what do you have left to lose? If he kills you, then you’ll be out of pain. That would be a damn gift.’_

He thought of this more as a suicide mission than a rescue mission.

While Old Nick was preoccupied looking up at the departure screen, Richard silently grabbed a handful of spoons with his free hand and shoved them in the waistband of his black sweatpants.

“We’re still on time.” Nick noted and walked them over towards TSA, hand still in a deathgrip on Richard’s wrist. Richard was shocked that he seemingly didn’t notice. ' _What? He didn't notice? How didn't he notice?'_ He didn't think about if this could  _actually_ work.

He didn't want to hope.

He learned from the last attempt.

Nick handed Richard a plane ticket and a passport, “Give those back _as soon as_ we’re past security.” Richard shakily nodded again. The wait in the short TSA line felt like it took centuries. In reality it was probably a couple minutes. His heart felt like it was going to pump through his chest and his boiling blood rushed through him. He stomach felt like it was doing somersaults and he felt like he was going to vomit. Richard practiced the deep breathing exercises that Gabriella had taught him which helped calm him down.

Richard was told to stand in front of Nick so he could keep an eye on him. When it was Richard’s turn he gave the TSA agent the passport and ticket. She scanned them without a word and gave them to him. He walked towards a large black TSA agent with kind facial features. She gestured for him to come forward to the full body scanner. “Arms up, legs on the tape.” She pointed towards the pictured model next to the machine. She had a no nonsense tone to her voice but still managed to look kind and caring. Richard did as told. She watched him as the scanner turned on and whirled around him.

After the machine stopped he noticed another female behind the computer gestured for the other attending TSA agent to come over. She motioned for him to stay in the scanner and walked over towards the other woman they talked for a few moments. The women noticed how skinny and frail he looked, how he cradled his left arm to keep it from hanging. She looked closely and saw where the cheap concealer tried to mask several bruises. How he looked dead inside but still fucking terrified. Like he had walked through the Nine Circles of Hell. How well dressed and groomed Nick was in comparison, even though Nick was dressed casually. She didn’t know who they were but knew that something was very wrong. She would do everything in her power to keep both of them off this international flight.

‘ _Is this? No. It’s can’t actually...be...working. Do they actually care?’_

The woman came back to him and asked, “Are you traveling with anyone?” Richard gulped. He didn’t know what to say. She looked at Nick, the next person in line who was already giving her a dirty glare. She turned back to Richard and tilted her head with a sweet concerned look, her voice quiet, “Hun, is it him?”

Richard gulped again and his breathing and heart rate sped up again. The woman took that as a yes. She called out to Nick, “Sir, is this man traveling with you?”

“Yes, why?” His no nonsense tone had a sharp edge to it.

“He’s been randomly selected for a private screening. It’ll just be a few moments.”

She turned back to Richard, “Come with me, hun.” She guided him towards a private screening room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I wanted an epic battle between Jared and Old Nick (damn I wanted it), I think it can universally agreed that Richard needs a fucking win for once in this fic. (Also, how mean would it have been if I ended the chapter with Jared at the cabin? But I didn't want to throw all the Richard and Old Nick material into one chapter. Also to answer my hypothetical question, it would be pretty mean.)
> 
> That quote Richard remembered was from Chapter 12, Nowhere to Run From This. (I didn't have this climax fully planned until recently but I knew I wanted something like it to happen. It actually took a very long time to develop and work through to get the final draft.) I originally found the spoon thing a long time ago [from Twitter](https://twitter.com/CopThatCooks/status/989893214378299392) and researched it out of curiosity and apparently setting off the [metal detector is a thing](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/girls-escape-forced-marriage-by-concealing-spoons-in-clothing-to-set-off-metal-detectors-at-the-8764404.html). As well as TSA agents looking for signs that something isn't right, as described in the fic. (I rarely, if ever, feel the need to post sources but this is actually useful information to know.)
> 
> Finally to end this long A/N, I want to give a shoutout to Bubba-H who actually speculated something like this in chapter 31. It was amazingly flattering that you remembered that from so many chapters ago! *offers hugs*


	34. I Am Richard Hendricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TSA Agent, Bethany, tries to get information from Richard about what happened. The Feds close in on where Old Nick is planning to take Richard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by; Running Up That Hill; Placeablo,The Weight of Us; Sanders Bloke.

Richard was lead into a small windowless room with the woman who saw him at the full body scanner and noticed there was something wrong. It had white walls with a large fluorescent light above them along with a metal table with three matching chairs. Richard had just gotten there and was already starting to feel claustrophobic. The bright fluorescent lights added to his anxiety, normally when he was in the light that’s when he was hurt. “You can sit down if you want.” The woman kindly offered and gestured towards the table. He sat down and looked towards the ground, curling in on himself. The woman’s heart broke when she noticed he was shaking like a leaf. She sat in the chair next him, “My name’s Bethany.” She tried to meet his eyes, “What’s yours?”

He looked away and shook even harder. He tried deep breathing. Bethany knew how to prove that this passport wasn’t his. She pulled it and the tickets from her pocket. She opened the passport to the identification page, “When’s your birthday?” Richard looked up at her, his face looked like a deer in headlights. Richard had never seen the inside of the passport, he had no idea. She looked at the plane tickets, a one way to Istanbul, Turkey and then to Sofia, Bulgaria, “Where are you going?” He gulped. He didn’t know. “I’m not mad at you, dear. You’re not in any trouble. I’m just trying to help.”

Richard’s frazzled mind ran at a thousand miles an hour. He kept wriggling his shaking hands, ‘ _This was a terrible idea.  A terrible idea. He’s going to be so mad. He’s going to be so mad. He’s going to be so mad. Because of this, what if he doesn’t kill you but just makes you wish you were dead? Well that’s not too different What if he hurts others? Oh this was so stupid! What if they’re on his payroll? Like Diavolo and the cops? What if they don’t believe you? Just go back and do as your told and be good for him.’_

Richard shot up and walked towards the door, “I-I-I-I need to go.”

“Back to the man who’s abusing you?” Bethany didn't bother beating around the bush. She didn't have time, she needed to figure out what was going on. Nick was standing outside and she didn't know how long they could keep him there without him running. They can't legally arrest people. 

Richard stopped dead in his tracks, his blood ran cold, his stomach sank, and his heart skipped a beat. He slowly turned around with a gulp. Bethany slightly pointed to his eye, “He make you wear concealer to cover the bruises that can’t be covered by clothing? I can see the dislocated shoulder through your shirt and that you’ve been holding that arm. You’ve been limping since you’ve been here.”

Richard felt his throat constrict so tightly that he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Terror boiled in his stomach. ‘ _What if this is a test? What if she just goes back to him after I say anything?’_

“ _Please_ , let me help you. Because I can’t help you if you won’t let me. I know it’s scary, dear, but please let me help you.”

Richard didn’t know whether or not to believe her. Whether or not he could trust her. After everything he’s been through, he didn’t think there was anyone he could trust.

She gently looked him in the eyes with her body open and hands empty and within his view. He wouldn’t look at her, instead looking down at the floor. “How do you know that man? Do you live with him?” Richard didn’t say anything, “Do you owe him money?” Richard shook his head and curled in on himself some more. “Where do you eat and sleep?” From his appearance, it was clear to Bethany that he hadn’t done any of those in a while.

“When I can.” He meekly responded.

She slowly leaned in a little, “Can you come and go when you want? Have you or anyone you care about been threatened or hurt if you tried to leave?”

She noticed his breathing become more shallow and erratic. She took that as a yes to the second question. She thought she was getting somewhere, but she still needed him to talk.

* * *

 

Jared sat in the sedan completely numb after the sobs finally stopped. He had no idea what to do next.  He had no idea how to find Richard. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and called Gilfoyle, “You got anything?” Jared could tell he was on speakerphone.

Jared’s voice was numb, completely in shock, “We’re...we’re too late. He’s not here.”

There was a few seconds of silence before Gilfoyle responded, “Are you sure that’s where he was actually streaming from? Not just a misdirect in the feed?”

Jared’s voice started to rise as anger bubbled within him, “Yes, I’m fucking sure.”

“How?” Gilfoyle was just curious, wondering if he found any evidence that could help.

“Because I found a fucking dungeon! That’s why!” Jared yelled

Gilfoyle hoped to fuck he was exaggerating or joking...but he knew Jared wasn’t.

Jared heard another female voice that sounded like Agent Shaw from the case, “We have identified someone from the videos. We think we know where Nick’s heading.”

“Where?”

“We couldn’t identify Nick from the videos, but we did identify a man from as Kostadin Bukhalov. Bulgarian citizen who has been on Interpol’s Most Wanted List for years. He’s wanted for human trafficking.”

“What’s Interpol?” Monica asked

“International Police. They deal with international crime.” Agent Shaw answered

“You think Nick could be heading to Bulgaria? I know he has connections to the Balkans and the rest of Eastern Europe. He’s never talked about this guy.” Jared offered

“So they’d be heading through an airport?” Dinesh asked on a hunch.

“He could be flying private.” Jared offered from Gilfoyle’s phone which was laid on the desk.

Dinesh looked up flights from Seattle to Sofia, Bulgaria, one of the biggest cities in the country, “Assuming he’s going through SeaTac and not anywhere like Vancouver, which is only a couple hours north, there are a couple of flights going out today to Sofia. None are direct flights.”

“What’s the first one?” Agent Burke asked, phone in hand ready to make the call to ground all flights to and connections to anywhere in Eastern Europe.

“Ummm…” Dinesh swallowed a lump in his throat, “The first one would be leaving, right about now.”

Agent Burke grit his teeth and took a deep breath, “Where is it going?”

“Istanbul, Turkey.”

Agent Shaw threw her hand back and ran her hands through her tied back long brown hair, “Let’s pray he isn’t on it.”

“Why?”

Agent Burke sighed and gave them the Sparknotes, “Well firstly, to get Richard back on US soil we’d have to carefully work and negotiate with Turkish authorities. On top of that, we couldn’t get Nick back if we wanted to because Turkey is not extraditing criminals at the moment because they’re pissed for other reasons.”

Jared asked, “What about Bulgaria?”

“That’s complicated.” Agent Shaw sat down in a chair in front of Gilfoyle’s crowded desk, “Again, we’d have to carefully work with the local authorities and if we file an extradition request for Nick, they don’t have to approve it. They’d rejected requests before of accused terrorists because there ‘wasn’t enough evidence’. If he’s on the plane...then getting both of them back will take a while. On top of all that, both countries have rapient corruption with that being almost a top issue for Bulgaria. Since Nick apparently has connections there, I would not be surprised if he pulled some strings so he wasn’t extradited.”

Gilfoyle clarified, “So what you’re saying is, if Richard is on that plane. This becomes an international incident that only _diplomacy_ can resolve.”

“Yes.”

“Fucking hell.”

There was a stretch of silence before Jared asked, “What’s the next move? What if he’s still at an airport? What if we still have some time?” They could hear the desperation in his voice.

“We’ll ground all other flights and send Richard’s picture to every private and public airport in the tristate area. I’ll call in some favors to have it sent to Vancouver International, incase Nick managed to get him across the border.” Agent Burke was already on it.

“Great.” They heard Jared start the car’s engine.

“You better not do **_anything_**. Thank you for the information, but you have done enough.” Agent Shaw’s sharp voice was full to the brim of anger, “You’ve caused enough trouble. Which we **_will_** be talking about once this is over.” Gilfoyle had to tell them about Jared’s little uncover mission. How else would he explain where he got all that information about Old Nick.

As Agents Burke and Shaw then ran out of the room to fly to Seattle, Monica saw Dinesh still looking at flights, “What are you doing? You have another angle?”

“I’m getting us on the next flight to Seattle.”

* * *

 

Nick paced the area past the security checkpoint. He was eagerly waiting for Richard so they could catch their flight. He looked up at the departures board and saw their first flight was announcing their last call for passengers. He stormed over towards the only TSA agent at the checkpoint. He saw her last name on her nameplate, Marcs,

“Where’s my friend!? Our flight is about to leave!”

Marcs politely responded, “I’m sorry sir, we’re severely understaffed at the moment. Also, it is policy to only have private screenings done by those of the same legal gender. We’re waiting on a male agent who should be here shortly.” That was a mix of lies and exaggerations. Although they were understaffed that morning. Bethany was still trying to coax Richard into talking and they knew he had to keep Nick in the area. Marcs didn’t know how long she could hold Nick off.

“I have business to attend to that you’re making us late!”

She tried to hold him off, “I’m sorry, sir. It should only be a few more minutes.” She went back to the computer behind the baggage x-ray machine.

Nick let out an angry groan and continued to pace. He noticed that the armed guards with machine guns that were once patrolling the outside and check-in areas started to patrol the checkpoint.

‘ _Son of a fucking bitch.’_ He knew something was up, ‘ _I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill him. I’m going to fucking_ **_kill_ ** _him! All those other motherfuckers he gives a shit about!’_ He briefly considered leaving Richard and pull some strings so that he didn’t get caught and extradited if Richard managed to talk. But he knew that would raise more red flags. So he stayed put.

 

Bethany walked out of the screening room nearby the security checkpoint and Marcs pulled her aside, “Has he talked yet?”

Bethany sighed and shook her head, “He’s fucking terrified, too traumatized to say anything. _Something_ happened to him. I’m about to call the Seattle Police to come pick him up.”

“Well we just got a notice from the Feds to not allow this guy on a plane. This is the guy right?” She showed Bethany the notice on her phone with Richard’s name and picture.

Her eyes widened, “Yeah, that's him.”

“They’ve been looking for him for a year. One of the Uber Kidnapper’s victims.”

“I thought they were all dead?”

“Yeah, you and everybody else.” Marcs raised her eyebrows, “So far he’s the only survivor.”

Bethany’s jaw dropped at her realization, “Holy shit. If he didn’t signal that something was wrong. I wouldn’t have noticed. He would have gotten on the flight with his trafficker. They're heading to Bulgaria. He would have never been found.”

Marcs nodded, “I don’t know if he knows the Feds are looking for him. But he just happened to buy himself just enough time for everyone to figure it out.”

“Well, tell the Feds we got him and to get their asses over here. I don’t know how much longer we can keep this trafficker here before he just walks away. Seriously, do whatever you need to do. Just make sure he doesn’t leave, and for the love of God make sure he doesn’t get on a plane out of the country.”

Since the Feds were already on their way it didn’t take long to land at SeaTac. Agents Burke and Shaw immediately headed towards the TSA checkpoint. As soon as Old Nick saw them he knew he was fucked. He tried to run but didn’t make it very far before being tackled and arrested by Agent Shaw. She told the guards and TSA to watch him while they went into talk to Richard.

They slowly walked in to see Richard sitting in the chair, curled in on himself, looking downward towards the floor. Their hearts broke to see him shaking like a leaf. They cautiously walked up to him, “I’m Agent Shaw. This is Agent Burke” Her voice was gentle and caring. She pointed towards her partner and they showed him their badges and set them on the table. Richard picked them up and carefully examined them. They sat down next to him.

They needed Richard to identify himself.  Agent Shaw asked, “What’s your name?” He continued shaking. “We arrested Nick. He’s never going to hurt you again. You’re safe now.” He looked up at her with a disbelieving stare as tears welled in his eyes. “Are you Richard Hendricks? Because we've been looking for you for a long time.” After a little more coaxing and calming the deep fear within him, Shaw eagerly and gently asked again, "Are you Richard Hendricks?"

He opened his mouth but froze for a moment as tears started flowing down his face that his nightmare could finally be over, “I-I-I….I am….I am Richard Hendricks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! I have been on a writing hiatus due to finals. Due to the holidays and the intense need to outline/write the second half of this fic, this will probably be the last update of 2018. I wanted to post this and end this part of the fic and pick up with an emotional reunion and lots of aftermath and comfort in early January. New year, new half of the fic. Timing's nice I think. In case I don't update again this year, Happy New Year!
> 
> Also going to post some fluffy holiday drabbles tonight, so keep an eye out for those!


	35. After The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gathers at the hospital where Richard was admitted. Jared and Richard have an emotional reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Belated New Year!  
> We're moving onto a calmer part of the fic but I did update the tags with concepts dealt with in the second half of the fic (mostly regarding mental health) that could be triggering so please check that out if that applies to you. (Even though if you've gotten this far in this fic this probably doesn't trigger you but AO3 has a great tagging system that I utilize fully in my whump and angst.)
> 
> Inspired by; Saturn, Chasing Cars, Make You Feel My Love all by; Sleeping at Last, also After The Storm; Mumford and Sons  
> I'm super excited for this chapter!!!!!!!! It's been a long time coming!

Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Monica rushed into the University of Washington Medical Center and were directed to the floor where Jared was already pacing the waiting room. They shared looks of complete disbelief and shock. Everyone, including Jared, were still trying to wrap their heads around what had happened over the last twelve hours. No one said anything, because no one knew what to say.

What was there to say other than 'holy fucking shit, what happened?'

They all sat in heavy silence as Jared continued to pace the otherwise empty waiting room. No one had seen Richard yet but were waiting on a doctor to come update them on his condition. Jared saw an older man in a lab coat walk towards them and he motioned to the others who focused their attention on the man.

The man nodded, “Hi, I’m Dr. Winters, the Chief of Medicine. I’m the head of the team treating Richard.”

“How is he?” Jared jumped to ask

Dr. Winters continued, “The good news is he’s safe, alive, and stable. My team is with him now conducting examinations, collecting evidence, and bandaging wounds. I’m glad he was found when he was.” His face softened, “You should all sit down.” He pulled a chair over and sat down next to them, “As you know, Richard was severely abused. He has a lot of injuries. So, when I’m talking about his condition, if at any time it becomes too much for you, feel free to step out for a moment to take a breath. There is no judgement here.” Jared’s heart stopped and his breath was caught in his throat. “X-rays have shown a broken nose, dislocated jaw and shoulder, fractured elbow, several broken ribs and fingers, as well as a shattered kneecap. These are all in various stages of healing, from recently broken to several months old, some up to a year.” Dr. Winters took a breath, “Other tests have shown internal bleeding, anal tearing, severe dehydration, with severe malnutrition and starvation. His body was breaking down muscle for fuel. Along with various bruises, burns, and cuts, some of his wounds did become infected which we are treating with antibiotics. He was tested for all STDs but will have to be tested again in about a month or so.”

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for Jared. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t feel anything.

“Why don’t you tell us what isn’t broken or damaged?” Gilfoyle retorted, arms folded across his chest.

Doctor Winters sighed, “Yeah, I’m afraid it’s one of those situations” He continued, “He’ll need surgery to fix some of the breaks that didn’t heal well. We’ll try our best with his knee but he’ll probably need a full replacement. All in all, it’s a miracle he’s still alive.”

Dinesh hesitated but asked, “I-I’ll probably regret asking this, but how could his knee be broken so badly?”

Dr. Winters took a deep breath, “Most likely a blunt object, like a mallet or hammer.”

Jared swallowed some vomit as Dinesh gulped, “Yeah, I should not have asked.”

Jared finally spoke, his voice small and weak, still in shock, “I-I-I need to see him. Please.”

Dr. Winters nodded, “He’s very emotionally fragile right now. He’s been through almost unimaginable trauma. He’s going to need _a lot_ of help going forward. He’ll need a strong support system to recover. The exams took a toll on him. We had to sedate him so he could get some rest. He should be awake in a few hours.” Doctor Winters did not say how compliant Richard was with their requests for examinations, he was almost too compliant with them. They knew the word ‘no’ had been literally beaten out of Richard in the past year, so they continually stressed how treatments were Richard’s decisions to make. He still did anything that was asked of him with no questions or hesitations. They took Richard’s compliance to treat him because he needed treatment, especially nutrition, antibiotics, and hydration.

Doctor Winters read Jared’s look of sheer desperation, “But you can see him now for a couple minutes. He’ll still be unconscious. When he wakes up we’ll do visitors at whatever speed he’s comfortable with.” He added, “Also, you might have noticed the floor is empty.” They nodded, “That is for a reason. We heard about what happened with another victim, Gabriela Hernandez. How one of his men impersonated a nurse and caused her death. The Feds are locking down this floor. No one, doctors or otherwise, comes on the floor unless they show ID and are on the pre-approved list. Even though he’s in prison, we’re not taking the risk. This will also help with privacy because the press will probably find out about this sooner rather than later. We’re putting your names on but you’ll have to tell the Feds anyone else who should be on it. All stairways and elevators will have a guard in front that you will check in with when you get here.”

He turned to Jared but before he could say anything Gilfoyle interrupted him,

“So you think Diavolo or Nick’s men could come after Richard. Because he of what he’d say to the Feds.”

“It’s a possibility which is why we’re already taking these precautions. The Feds won’t let that happen.”

“Well excuse us for not believing in the inept bureaucracy to keep Richard safe.” Gilfoyle didn’t miss a beat. Doctor Winters sighed in response. GIlfoyle followed up, “Could they come after us to get to Richard?”

Doctors Winters stopped. This wasn’t his area of expertise but he still knew the answer. Deep down, they all did. “It’s possible. The Feds have thought about that and will give you security details when you leave the premises. With guys like this, that’s how they control people. By finding out their weaknesses and exploiting them. Mostly, by threatening people they care about.” He consoled, “The Feds have already been in contact with San Quentin State Prison. Diavolo has been moved from general population to isolation to ensure he can’t get to Richard.” He turned his attention to Jared, “Now, you said you wanted to see him.”

“Yes, yes, I did.”

He got up to lead Jared to Richard’s room.

* * *

 

Jared walked down the empty hallway with baited breath. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He couldn’t believe he was _finally_ going to see Richard. He was afraid that it was all just a fucked up dream and he’d wake up in a lonely motel room still trying to figure out what happened to Richard.

The doctor lead him into the room. It was dark with small strands of sunlight coming from between the blinds. He heard the beeps from the heart monitor. He slowly walked in. His chest tightening with each step. He saw Richard lying unconscious in the bed. Jared’s breath hitched when he saw all the bandages, all the scars. He covered his mouth with his hand as he got a good look at Richard. He looked like he had been through hell. He gulped when saw the dark bruises scattered around this neck and his eye, his swollen nose. Richard’s arm was in a sling. He saw ligature marks around his wrists which were scratched and chaffed. He noticed small circular burn marks on his upper arms just around where the hospital gown sleeve started. Jared was worried because those were only the wounds he could see.

How much worse did it get?

Jared sat down in the chair next to the bed. Tears started to fall down his face which Jared didn’t make an effort to wipe away. He slowly and gently reached for Richard’s free hand. He gently touched it to hold it but saw a minor flinch. Jared’s heart jumped, thinking that perhaps he was waking up. Jared watched and waited with baited breath for a few seconds before realizing that Richard wasn’t waking up yet.

Jared’s tears turned to a full on sobs. He was wished with his whole heart that he could magically take all the physical and emotional pain away from Richard. Jared didn’t try to stop his sobs. Instead letting them all out. He was so relieved that Richard was alive and home safe, but knew he would never be the same.

His attention was pulled away when he heard someone call his name. He looked up at saw Agent Shaw by the door. Jared quickly wiped his face with his shirt sleeve with a sniffle. “Hello. What can I do for you?”

She cautiously walked over “We thought we would give you some time with him, but now we need to talk.”

Jared looked at his phone and noticed he had been crying there for an hour. “What do you need?”

She sat in the chair next to him, “As I understand, you are a civilian who “went undercover” with some of Diavolo’s friends, including Old Nick. I use quotations with, went undercover, because that is not a thing with civilians. That’s a crime. Most federal prosecutors would charge you with facilitating human trafficking and give you at least twenty years. We don’t stand for vigilante justice.” Jared’s throat tightened, worried about where this was going. Shaw was quick to read his worried expression, “We’re not going to charge you. We know there was no malicious intent, just a search for answers. Your information led to the capture of a highly wanted international criminal. We caught him in the act. The main reason we won’t charge you is if you tell us _everything._ The players, where the bases are, earlier we found Nick’s and are investigating it, how many each had working for them. _Everything_ that you know. You also must testify against anyone who does not take a deal.” Shaw did not say how if this got leaked to the press that a civilian kept investigating and went undercover because they felt the Feds did not do their jobs, it would not look good on the Feds. They had to cover their tracks, act like Jared was working for them all along. “In case files you will be noted as a confidential informant of the FBI. Do those sound like agreeable terms?”

“So no charges?” Jared clarified.

She shook her head,“No. No charges.”

Jared nodded and grabbed some glasses from his pocket, “I recorded everything on these. I have more recordings on my laptop. It’s in the car in the parking lot.”

Shaw nodded impressed at the glasses he handed her. “I’ll tell my team. The doctors said Richard won’t be awake for a few more hours. Let’s go to the conference room to talk further.”

* * *

 

Dinesh, GIlfoyle, and Monica sat in the waiting area. Monica paced the waiting room. They noticed Jared walking down the hall with Agent Shaw into a private room a few doors down.

“This is insane.” Monica was still trying to wrap her head around all of it.

Dinesh rubbed his temples, “Yeah, tell me about it.”

Gilfoyle took a breath, “Before he wakes up...do you guys want to...see him?” He asked because he knew that even though the doctors cleaned him up he would still look rough and could cause a shocked reaction. Not exactly what Richard needed. So getting that out of the way while he was unconscious was probably a good move.

The three got up and walked down to his room.

They slowly walked down the empty corridor to Richard’s room. The all exchanged slightly worried glances at the door. No one wanted to be the first person in the room. Monica eventually walked in with Gilfoyle behind her and then Dinesh. Richard was still unconscious but Gilfoyle was right. Even though the doctors cleaned him up, Richard still looked like hell, and they only saw the injuries that weren’t covered by a hospital gown and blanket. Monica’s breath hitched and instinctively grabbed Gilfoyle’s hand in a rare moment of public affection.

Dinesh instinctively let out a small, “Shit.” as he lost his breath for a moment. They just stood in shock, staring at their friend, relieved that he was alive, but in shock as to how he managed to survive everything that he had.

It was all a little too real for all of them.

Dinesh couldn’t take his eyes off his friend, “Thank you...for working the stream by yourself.”

GIlfoyle looked over at Dinesh, knowing that Dinesh knew he couldn’t handle seeing the raw video.  “No need to thank me.”

They stood there speechless for a little while longer before Monica left to smoke, Gilfoyle went with her, and Dinesh left with them to go back to the waiting room.

Monica and GIlfoyle came back a while later. Dinesh noticed the cylindrical paper bag Gilfoyle was holding. Dinesh knew they had made a stop. They sat in wordless silence for a period of time before they saw Jared coming from a private room with Agents Shaw and Burke behind him. Jared went into Richard’s room while the agents came towards them.

“Did any of you have any knowledge of what Jared was up to? We aren’t charging anyone. We just need to know if you have any other information that aid in our investigation.”

Monica shook her head, “No, he told us that he needed some space and time. So we respected that. He told us that he was birding in Oregon.”  The agents seemed to believe her, “We would have done something if we had known.” The guys nodded in agreement. The agents believed them.

* * *

 

Jared sat by Richard’s side as he slept. He still couldn’t believe that Richard was there, lying right next to him. He was terrified that this was all a fucked up dream, but it was real.

It was so very real.

He knew that he would always wish he could take away all of Richard’s pain. Jared knew it would they had a very long and hard road ahead of them.

But he’d be with Richard every step of the way.

He noticed a flinch in Richard’s hand. His eyes widened and he nearly jumped out of the chair next to the bed. He watched and waited with baited breath, wondering if Richard was about to wake up. Jared saw Richard’s eyes slowly open. For the first time in a year Jared saw those baby blue eyes he loved so much.

“Richard?” Jared’s voice was soft and small, as not to startle him.

Richard startled awake and bolted up, rattling his ivs which just terrified him more. His eyes were wild and his breathing was erratic. He frantically looked around like he didn’t know where he was. His body violently trembled. Jared tried to calm him down keeping his hands within Richard’s view, “You’re safe now. You’re in the hospital.”

Richard looked at him in curious disbelief, ‘ _No. It can’t be. This can’t be real._ **_You_** _can’t be real. This has to be some sort of dream.’_

It was like Jared read his mind, “Listen to me. It’s Jared. I’m not going to hurt you. No one is **_ever_ ** going to hurt you ever again. You’re safe now.” When their eyes met Jared noticed something different about Richard’s. They used to be vibrant, a beautiful sapphire blue. Now they looked dull and lifeless. It was just another stab in Jared’s heart. He fought off the tears in order to appear strong for Richard.

“Please trust me. You’re safe now. They will never hurt you again. I’m here now.” Over Jared’s dead body would _anyone_ _ever_ hurt Richard again.

Richard was curled up as far to the side of the bed as possible. The thin hospital blanket laid haphazardly over his part of his legs which were also covered by some baggy scrub pants. Jared knew there were probably bruises and scars underneath.

Keeping his arms within Richard’s view, he slowly went to give Richard a hug. He knew it may not end well but he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He needed to let it out.

He ever so gently gave Richard a hug that Jared half expected Richard to vehemently refuse. To his surprise, not only did Richard lean into the hug but instead grasped onto Jared like he didn’t know if Jared was real or not. Like Jared was his lifeline. Richard started sobbing, shaking, and hyperventilating into Jared’s soft sweater, inhaling his sweet scent that he had missed so much. He genuinely thought he’d never see Jared again, or that he had been killed.

Jared slightly tightened his grip, careful not to hurt Richard’s numerous injuries. In that moment he knew it was all worth it. Everything he did to find Richard, from the night he disappeared to infiltrating the ring and finding the cabin. It was all worth it. Because Richard was in his arms. He was safe again.  Jared would do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant bringing Richard home where he belonged. He couldn’t keep it in any longer and let out his sobs into the shoulder of Richard’s hospital gown. He sniffled, “It’s okay. I’m here now. It’s going to be okay. You’re safe. No one will ever hurt you again. I promise. I’m here now.”

They were both overwhelmed with so many emotions they couldn’t articulate, but they both knew for certain that they never wanted to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been waiting to write this reunion for so long, but not gonna lie felt some pressure because it's been almost 80k of buildup. I figured the best thing would be to keep it simple.


	36. Ghosts That We Knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard gives his statement to the authorities where there's a surprise revelation. Later he has an awkward reunion with Dinesh and Gilfoyle. There is a drastic change in Richard's condition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while. I started a new semester of grad school as well as trying to find a job as well as Life Shit getting in the way. I hope to have more regular updates. I'm still super excited about this fic but lately I haven't been happy with what I was writing. This chapter's longer and intense (but in a different way that before). Be sure to tell me what you think! Comments help me write!  
> Also I updated the tags last chapter for mental health concerns so check that out if that applies to you.  
> Title from: Ghosts That We Knew; Mumford and Sons, Lullaby; Nickelback

Jared continued to hold Richard as he sobbed, as if to tell Jared his story from hell. Once all his tears were spent and his arms became tired of the grip he still wouldn’t let go. Richard was terrified that this was all some dream. That if he let go Jared would disappear and he’d be back in that damn cell.

Richard was never the intimate type. He never liked hugs or other kinds of touch and physical affection, but he was so starved for kind, sincere, and warm displays of affection he couldn’t stop clutching onto Jared. He would hold on to Richard as long as he needed. “I’ll never leave you, Richard. Never again.”

He finally moved his head from where it was resting on Jared shoulder to face him, “I just...I just can’t...believe i-i-it-it’s really y-you. I thought that you….that they...” He sniffled and finally let go of Jared to wipe his nose with the side of his hand.

Jared gave him a calm soft smile, “It’s okay. It’s really me.”  He sniffled wiped his eyes and cheeks as well. Richard set back on the bed which Jared took as a sign and sat back in the chair next to the bed. With the initial wave of overwhelming emotions past him, Richard started feeling self conscious and awkward. He looked down at his swollen hands where several of his broken fingers were in soft splints and his arm was in a sling. Richard uncomfortably gulped because they both knew that nothing would ever be the same again.  Richard had no idea what Jared knew. He didn’t know if Jared knew anything about what happened. However, he was terrified that their entire dynamic had changed. He was terrified that Jared would see him differently.

Jared could see his uneasiness and tried to calm him down and make him feel better. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get past this. Together. You’re not alone.”  He slowly and gently took Richard’s hand, “You’re going to be okay, my angel.” He thought he was just using a warm term of endearment.

He didn’t know.

Richard’s eyes widened like a cornered wild animal and his started hyperventilating again, his heart thrashed against his chest. Old Nick’s voice rang in his head.

"You cry so beautifully, my angel."

"You know how much I love your screams, angel."

He tried to back away from Jared but there was only so far he could go on the bed. Jared started panicking because he didn’t know what was going on and what triggered Richard. It was like Richard didn’t know where he was or who he was with. Richard didn’t see Jared in the room anymore, but saw Old Nick sitting there with his devilish smile and wide eyes.

Jared kept trying to reassure him as calmly as he could, “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“Ple-please-please get away. Get away!” He curled up as much as he could. “Please stop. Please. It hurts! It hurts! I need a break! Please! Please!”

This attracted the attention of the hospital staff causing a couple nurses to come in and try to calm him down and demanding that Jared leave for now.

He was nearly shoved out the door where he stood in shock, trying to figure out where he went wrong.

Jared mindlessly walked into the waiting room in a complete daze. Dinesh and Monica got up wondering what was going on.

“So, how is he?” Dinesh was first to ask. “Is he awake yet?”

Jared just stood there, staring into the distance trying to wrap his head around what just happened and why he was kicked out. “It was going alright. As well as to be expected I guess. Then I must have said something that set him off.”

In hindsight this should not have surprised Jared, or anyone. The doctor addressed how emotionally fragile Richard was.

“What did you say?” Monica asked

“I just said, ‘You’re going to be okay, my angel’. I don’t know what happened. What triggered him.”

“I think I do.” They turned around to where Gilfoyle was still sitting behind them with the half drunk bottle of whiskey on the floor next to him. “That’s what he called Richard...in the videos.”

Jared’s heart stopped. He just stopped functioning for a few moments as he realized how badly he triggered Richard. How he hurt Richard. “It’s okay, you didn’t know.”

Gilfoyle bent down to grab the bottle but before he could grab it he felt someone pulling on on the sides of his flannel and he was violently pulled to his feet. He looked up in confused shock to see Jared’s red angry face inches away murderously staring back at him. No one thought he had the strength to do that. Kind of like when a mother lifts a car to save her child. “You never thought to fucking tell us that?! That you found a definite trigger!”

“We’ve been kind of busy. It slipped my mind. Besides, I’ve been trying to erase those videos from my memory.”

Before Jared could respond Monica broke it up, “Okay, let’s stop.” She pushed Jared away from Gilfoyle. “I know there’s a lot of tension and emotion between everyone right now, but Jared, you look like you’re about to kill him. Go cool off. Talk a walk, get some air, get a drink. I don’t care, just cool off and don’t come back till you have.”

Jared stormed off, but not before giving Gilfoyle one last glare that was nothing short of murderous.

Jared continued down the hallway and towards the elevator. The Feds were true to their word because an armed guard was already standing next to it with a no nonsense look on his face and his large arms folded over his chest.

As Jared waited for the elevator the guard kept giving him the stink eye and Jared didn’t know why. It made him uncomfortable and was relieved when the elevator finally came. He thought he’d take a walk around the neighborhood and get some fresh air.  Once he got downstairs he walked towards the lobby and wasn’t too surprised that there seemed to more security in the lobby than there should be but he did find it a little odd. As he approached the front door it became clear that there were press stationed outside but weren’t allowed inside. His stomach dropped as he rushed over towards a corner and checked his phone for the first time in hours. He saw a seemingly endless amount of missed calls, texts, and emails. The press had gotten wind of this and was going crazy over it.

He took a few deep breaths in an effort to relieve the knots in his stomach.

Instead of going outside and facing the barrage of press, Jared walked aimlessly around the hospital until he had cooled down enough that he wouldn’t want to kill Gilfoyle next time he saw him.

Jared reached the floor where he had to gave his id to the guard who gave him stink eye earlier that evening. He was glad that there was some security in place for Richard. He shoved his driver’s licence back in his wallet and shoved it back in his pants pocket as he headed to Richard’s room to check on him. As he passed Monica grabbed his attention, “Jared!”

He stopped and turned towards her, “You can’t go in there. The Feds and Interpol are taking his statement. They insisted on no interruptions or visitors.”

“Interpol?”

“Since Nick was on Interpol’s most wanted list, they wanted to hear what Richard had to say as well as the Feds.”

Jared took a deep breath and walked over towards them to wait some more. He was itching to get back in there to see Richard. To hold his hand and support him as he had to relive what happened to tell the Feds. He just hoped that Richard had enough strength left to tell the authorities what happened.

Jared felt useless just sitting there, waiting. He counted the seconds until he could see Richard again, and if he’d let Jared, wrap him in a warm loving hug.

He started pacing the waiting room. He looked at the time on his phone, “They’ve been in there for over four hours. I should go in there.”

Dinesh tried to stop him, “If Richard wanted you in there with him, he would have said something.” Dinesh unknowingly had a point.

If Richard had said that he wanted Jared with him, the authorities would have let him. Richard knew that.

Except he didn’t want Jared with him as he told his story from hell. He couldn’t handle Jared hearing, in excruciating detail, everything that had happened to him. Everything that he was forced to do.

He couldn’t do it.

The Feds and his doctors suggested that Richard make his statement over a couple days to limit the stress, but Richard really just wanted to get it over with.

* * *

 

Richard had just finished telling them about the attempted escape from Diavolo. Agent Shaw was seated next to him holding her phone which was recording the statement. “When was this again?”

“Um-maybe a couple days after the Super Bowl.”

The agents shared a look. They knew the Diavolo was taken down around that time. They had to get a date. She gently reminded him, “I’m sorry, but you need to be as specific as possible. How many days?”

Richard took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Um...like I said...days just...blended together after a while.”

She gently prodded, “Well try as hard as you can. You said Diavolo had you guys working every night. How many times were you taken out from the game till the escape?”

He thought for a while in the memories that he would always try to forget but knew he never would, “Two.”

The agents shared a look. They knew it was the day they captured Diavolo. Richard’s timing could not have been worse. They already told Richard that they caught Diavolo but they didn’t tell him when. Agent Burke, who was sitting in front of Richard, shared a look with Shaw. Wondering which one was going to break the news.

Shaw bit the bullet, “We were asking about specific dates this time because we caught Diavolo around that time. In fact, we caught him that day. We found Gabriella in the cellar.”

Richard’s heart stopped and he straighten up in the bed, “Is she-where is she?” The glimmer of hope deep within him that perhaps Gabriella was still alive.

Shaw tightened her lips and sighed, “I’m sorry. The doctors did what they could.” His face dropped.

Burke finished, “Diavolo found out she survived-”

"And he got to her.” Richard finished, his voice so low it was almost a whisper.

“That’s why there’s so much security here. To prevent what happened to Gabriella from happening to you.”

Richard didn’t want to tell anyone, but he didn’t really care if he lived or died.

He got back to what they said about Diavolo’s capture, “So...if I would have just _waited a few hours_...no one else would have died. We would have gotten out. Together. We’d all be free...and alive.”

The agents had the collective thought of, ‘ _O_ _h shit.’_

Agent Burke was quick to assure Richard, “There was no way you could have know that we were on the way. Diavolo found out that we were after him and started cleaning house. That’s why he shot Gabriella. He would have shot you all or given you to Old Nick anyway. This is _not_ your fault.”

Then why did it feel like it?

He saw Old Nick in the corner with Diavolo behind him snickering, _"_ You fucking idiot. You caused this. All of this. It’s all your fault."

His attention was to back to the actual people in the room when he was prompted by Agent Burke to continue with what happened next.

When he got to the successful escape. He noticed the Feds lied to him about how they found out he was at SeaTac. They told him that the TSA identified him and called the Feds.

However, he knew differently. Old Nick relished in the fact that he was streaming on PiperNet. Saying how he infiltrated it and how user friendly the interface was. How good the stream looked. That he emailed his friends the link.

He kept that to himself.

He didn’t feel like bringing it up to them.

He didn’t have the energy.

Having to do all this was already too much.

After giving his statement and the authorities left he was emotionally exhausted. He looked out the pane glass window noticing how dark it had gotten. It was now late evening and the last twenty four hours had seemed to be a complete whirlwind. This was truly the first time Richard was able to stop and try to wrap his head around everything that had happened in the past day. He felt like he finally had a moment of calm by himself and he could take a breath. He wanted to feel happy and relieved. Instead he felt numb and completely emotionally and physically exhausted, like he had nothing left to give. No fight left. He had no idea how he was going to move forward. He was still in shock that his impulsive escape actually worked. He was afraid that if he went to sleep, that he would wake up back in the cell. He was terrified that this was all just a dream. He kept his eyes low towards the ground, fiddling with the hospital blanket. When he looked up he saw Old Nick standing alone in the corner. 

He was interrupted from his thought by Jared gently knocking on the door which made Richard instinctively jump. “Can I come in?”

Richard nodded, “Yeah, of course.”

Jared walked over and sat down in the chair next to him. “I’ve just been outside with the others.”

“What..what others?”

“Just Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Monica. They’ve been here since we got the news.” Jared didn’t feel the need to tell him about the press camped outside.

Richard thought for a few moments, “I’d...I’d like to see them.”

Jared nodded, “I’ll go get them. Then I’ll give you guys some privacy.” Jared got to have his private moment with Richard, he found it fair that his friends got theirs.

He walked to the waiting area where Dinesh and Gilfoyle were sitting on their phones. “Where’s Monica?”

“She heard from a nurse she could smoke on the roof. Why?” Gilfoyle asked barely looking up from his phone.

“He asked to see you guys.”

The gave each other blank looks before looking back at Jared. They slowly got up and walked down towards Richard’s room. Once they got to his room they stopped and Gilfoyle nudged Dinesh to go first. Then Dinesh nudged him back. Neither wanted to go in first. They were both mildly afraid to go in. Gilfoyle finally sighed and slowly walked in first with Dinesh right behind him.

They stopped and their breath hitched when they saw Richard. They just stopped, like deer in headlights. They quickly realized they were staring and tried looking somewhere else, which looked odd. Dinesh had his hands up near his chest because he didn’t really know what to do with them. They didn’t know what to do. How to greet him. Even though they weren’t really the hugging types, they didn’t know whether or not it was okay. A wave or high five or a fist bump just seemed inappropriate and odd. They didn’t know what he was comfortable with. They were terrified of triggering another panic attack.

Richard sensed their awkwardness and just said, “Hi.”

“Hi.” They replied back with Dinesh giving a small wave that he only half committed to. They continued to awkwardly stand there trying not to make eye contact.

“Umm...you can...sit...if you want.”

They nodded, “Yeah yeah yeah. Of course.” They sat down in the folding chairs on the side of the bed that were left from the Feds who were there previously.

“I’m glad you’re here again.” Dinesh thoughtlessly blurted and immediately regretted that awkward phrasing.

Richard scrunched his face, “...Yeah.” He didn’t tell them that he didn’t exactly feel the same way.

They continued to sit in silence with the heavy tension and elephant in the room that no one knew how to address.

They had no idea how to reunite after everything that happened. Normally, Gilfoyle cut tension and awkwardness with sarcastic comments, insults, and inappropriate jokes. He knew that he couldn’t exactly use his common techniques.

As the elephant in the room only seemed to grow larger the longer the three didn’t say anything and still didn’t look at each other, Gilfoyle thought, ‘ _Fuck it.’_ He noticed that Richard had a 5 o'clock shadow from lack of shaving for several months. 

It wasn't really a beard but Gilfoyle vaguely pointed at it, “You stole my beard.”

Dinesh gave him a stare, ‘ _What the fuck, dude?’_

They looked at Richard and saw a small smile form on his lips which turned to some small chuckles. Richard had no idea why he had that reaction. “Yeah, figured I’d take some time and see if I could actually grow a beard...guess we can do a who wore it better kinda thing.”

Gilfoyle tried to hide his shock that bad joke actually worked. “It was actually a reference to a pretty popular movie that came out recently. Made all of the money. Surprised you didn’t pick up on it.”

Richard let out a slight chuckle, “Yeah, been a little tied up, haven’t had an opportunity to go to the movies.”

“Well you should check it out.”

Dinesh was turning between the two so much he almost got whiplash. He gave Gilfoyle a look,  ‘ _What the fuck is going on?’_

As the jokes started to diffuse the tension, Gilfoyle thought, ‘ _Holy fuck this is actually fucking working.’_ He glanced at Dinesh and started baiting him with any innocent insult he could think of. He started with how stupid Dinesh’s sneakers looked. Dinesh, who didn’t understand what Gilfoyle was doing, played right into it trying to give insults back. Although innocent, they weren’t very good. As Gilfoyle continued with his innocently crafted insults he occasionally glanced over at Richard to gauge his reaction. He saw that Richard had a small smile and seemed to be enjoying seeing his friends banter again. So Gilfoyle continued as the tension diffused and things started to feel more normal between them.

Even though nothing would ever be normal again and they all knew it.

Richard brought that newfound normality to a halt by addressing the elephant in the room. He muttered just loud enough to be heard, “I’ve missed this.”

They stopped and stared at him with dropped jaws. Richard just realized he made that comment out loud. He looked down, picking at the thin hospital blanket. “I seriously didn’t...think...that...I would...I thought that...they killed you all. He-he...told me...he would.” He gulped. He couldn’t look at them, “I didn’t think….that I...would...ever see you guys again.”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle looked towards the floor, their stomachs collapsed into a pit, twisting and turning. They didn’t know what to say.

That they were certain that Richard had been murdered in cold blood by a monster, and he died bloody, scared shitless, and alone.

That they were blown away that he was somehow still alive.

Dinesh gave Gilfoyle a look like he was trying and failing to think of a dumb insult to lighten the mood. Because neither had any idea with how to deal with what Richard had just said.

As much as Gilfoyle didn’t want to admit it, with Richard’s comments they were well past making dumb comments. They couldn’t go back to a couple moments earlier when he was making fun of Dinesh’s shoes. So he acknowledged the elephant in the room as well, “What you did at the airport…” Richard looked up in curiosity, a pit tightened in the bottom on his stomach, “It was really creative...and brave as fuck. Setting off the metal detector. How did you think of that?”

Richard was quick to respond, “I didn’t.”

Dinesh squinted, “Then who-?”

“She did.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Gabriella. She’s...she’s my friend….I...I owe her my life.” He gulped and fidgeted with the blanket, “I wouldn’t….I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t...for her.”

He looked up to Old Nick in the corner, _“_ And now she’s dead thanks to you. Because you couldn’t have waited even a second longer. She got you out. But you couldn’t get her out. What does that say about you?”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle looked back down at the ground. This was all too real for them. Gilfoyle kept thinking that he wasn’t drunk enough to deal with something this real.

Awkward tension almost suffocated them. Dinesh and GIlfoyle were about to get up to leave, thinking they spent enough time with him for now, when Richard asked them a tough question.

“How-how’s the company?”

Dinesh and GIlfoyle exchanged a look of, _oh shit what do we tell him? We did not think this through!_ Honestly, that never crossed their minds and they didn’t think Richard would ask so soon.

Dinesh beat around the bush, “It’s fine, you don’t have to worry. Just focus on yourself and getting better.” Dinesh was pretty impressed with that answer, as was GIlfoyle. He literally bit his tongue to refrain from making a sarcastic comment about Dinesh not fucking that up. Since that could undo the beating around the bush that Dinesh just seemingly pulled off.

They had no idea how to tell Richard that Dinesh took his job due to the rules of succession, they launched and were massively successful without Richard, which caused them to scale up and move to a multilevel office. Finally, that their internet, Richard’s life work, was used against him so cruelly by Old Nick.

Richard only knew the last thing. He didn’t back down, “Seriously. How are things going? You know...without me. What’s been going on? Fill me in.”

Their breathing hitched. It was clear that Richard wanted a real answer. He wanted details.

The two were silent and exchanged glances. They didn’t know how and what to tell him, or how much to tell him. As Dinesh was trying to figure out a way around this conversation, Gilfoyle realized that Richard needed to know and he was eventually going to find out soon anyway. He thought that Richard had been lied to enough and deserved to hear the truth. No matter how painful.

“Well..” Gilfoyle leaned in from the chair he was sitting in, “Since you’ve been gone there’s been a lot of changes. Firstly, Dinesh has taken over as according to…” He tried to think of another way to say Richard’s will, “Procedure.” He was more satisfied with that phrasing.

Dinesh butt in, “And I haven’t ranked up fines as much as a small nation’s GDP.”

Gilfoyle side-eyed Dinesh, “You say that like it’s an accomplishment.”

Before Dinesh could respond Richard asked, “As interim right?” The men were silent, “When did you do this?” They knew what Richard was asking, how long did you wait before doing this?

Dinesh was still trying to figure out a way to change the topic, but they were too far in. It was too late. Gilfoyle answered, “We found out the morning after and Laurie called a board meeting that evening.”

That hit Richard like a slap in the face. He saw Old Nick leaning against the wall in the corner, “See, what did I keep telling you? They don’t give a single fuck about you. They _could_ give less a shit, but they would have to _really_ try and at that point you’re caring.”

“We all thought it was too soon but Laurie insisted. You know how she is.” Gilfoyle took a breath before continuing, “Once the Feds found Diavolo’s house and after Gabriella was killed...they declared you dead and closed the case.”

Richard’s heart stopped. He sat motionless, vacantly staring at his friends. He felt completely numb. The Feds did not tell him that part, they had decided to wait a while.

“The TSA called the Feds when they ran the airport security footage of you and it matched your missing persons file.” Gilfoyle lied, he wasn’t ready to tell Richard about Pipernet. Although Richard knew he was lying, because Old Nick told him he was streaming to Pipernet.

“A few days after Laurie called another meeting to vote Dinesh in as permanent CEO.”

“How long is a few?”

Gilfoyle just sat there, trying to hide how he was drowning on dry land. Dinesh decided that he wasn’t going to say anything and leave Gilfoyle to clean up the mess he got himself into. “How long before you gave my company away! Before you completely moved on and forgot about me!”

“Three days.”

Richard saw Old Nick in the corner shaking his head. He smile and chuckled, “They are just confirming everything I’ve told you. They don’t give a single shit about you. They don’t need you. They just want the company. You coming back is just distracting them and pulling them from the company. You’re nothing more than a whore now. They don’t need you. They’re doing just fine without you. They’re actually thriving. Go on, ask them!”

“How’s it doing?” Richard asked

They were silent, wishing they were anywhere but there. Gilfoyle answered, “We had to launch in order to get Series B and not financially crash and burn. Since we’ve launched...we’ve been rapidly expanding to keep up with the exploding user growth.”

Old Nick devilishly smiled from the corner, “They were a success _without you,_ angel. You’re completely _unnecessary_. You weren’t even needed to make your life’s work a success. If you were there when it launched you most likely would have fucked it up. Like how you fuck up everything else. You’re nothing more than a nuisance. They’re doing great without you. Everyone’s better off thinking you’re dead.”

‘ _Maybe you’re right.’_

Old Nick replied to his thought, “Of course, I’m right. I’m your subconscious. Just get it over with so everyone can go back to their lives without you fucking everything up like you’re doing right now.” Richard stared at the hallincination, “Do it!”

Richard’s eyes ran around the room. “I...I need to use the bathroom.” He sat up some more and moved down the bed to shakily swung his legs over to the floor. He leaned on the iv pole and limped over to the small bathroom in the corner of the room.

Once the door was closed Dinesh turned to Gilfoyle, “You just had to tell him. Didn’t you?”

“It’s better he hear it from us than from some Fed. Or worse, the media. He deserves to know the truth. He’s been lied to enough.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes which felt like an eternity when Dinesh said, “Would it be rude to just leave now while he’s gone? Because I think you’ve said enough.” Gilfoyle gave him bitchface and heard a small knock on the open door.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Jared asked

“It’s going.” Dinesh answered. Jared looked around. “He’s in the bathroom.” He answered Jared’s unasked question.

He nodded, “Oh.”

Gilfoyle looked at his phone, “He’s been in there a while.” Everyone shared a look on mild concern.

“I’ll check on him.” Jared walked over towards the bathroom and knocked on the light wooden door. “Richard? Richard are you alright? You’ve been in there a while.” When Jared didn’t hear anything he knocked a couple more times, “Richard? Richard?” He knocked again with no answer. He took a deep breath, “I’m going to open the door. Just to make sure you’re okay. I really hope you don’t mind.”

Jared’s heart stopped and his jaw dropped when he opened the door. He heard high pitched screaming but took a couple seconds to realize it was his voice. Dinesh and Gilfoyle ran behind him and their jaws dropped.

Richard was sitting almost unconscious on the cold bathroom floor against the wall with a bloody needle from his iv falling from his hand. A long crimson red line of blood ran from his wrist to his mid forearm showing where he cut on each arm. Large shallow puddles of blood pooled on the floor spreading further and further from Richard’s wrists and bits of blood had seeped into his hospital gown and scrub pants from making the cut on the second arm.

When Jared finally stopped screaming he ran to Richard and grabbed some small towels from the rack above the toilet in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “Oh god. Oh god, Richard. Oh god. You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

He raised his hand to feel Richard’s sweaty forehead and felt his skin was cold and clammy. As Jared attempted to stop the bleeding he turned over towards Dinesh and Gilfoyle, “DO SOMETHING!!” That grabbed them from their shock and sent Gilfoyle running into the hallway yelling for a nurse.

Jared half cradled Richard while pressing white towels to his wounds which made the towels quickly turn crimson red. “It’s going to be okay.”

Richard’s eyes were still closed but he managed to weakly slur, “It’s okay...He told me to.”

Not knowing who Richard was actually talking about, Jared whipped up to look at Dinesh, “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU TWO SAY TO HIM!?”

Dinesh was still standing there with his mouth wide open, completely paralyzed with shock while violently shaking. His eyes were glazed over but fixated on the amount of blood on the floor. He had seen lots of blood from animals before but never this much from a human.

Several nurses and a doctor sprinted into the room pushing Jared and Dinesh outside as they attempted to stabilize Richard.

They sat in the waiting area. Gilfoyle was downing a half-drunk bottle of cheap whiskey whereas Dinesh couldn’t stop talking and shaking,

“I-helped-my-dad-slaughter-a-pig-when-i-was-a-kid-there-was-so-much-blood-it-doesn’t-really-bother-me-you-know-bleed-like-a-pig-it’s-a-saying-but-you-never-imagine-people-having-that-much-blood-oh-god-Richard’s-so-skinny-he’s-like-five-pounds-you-wouldn’t-imagine-so-much- blood-”

Jared sat hunched over with his head in his hands in a silent rage. He eventually jumped up and stormed down the hall. He needed to get away from them. He couldn’t stand being around them at the moment. As he made his way down the corridor to the elevator he saw Monica coming back from smoking on the roof. She looked up from her phone and her face dropped at the sight of a big bloody stain on Jared’s light grey sweater.

“Oh-oh-oh god. Is Richard alright? Is he dead?”

“What is your definition of, ‘dead’?”


	37. I Don't Know How To Say It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's an update on Diavolo and Old Nick's cases. Dinesh wonders if their conversation caused Richard's suicide attempt which leads to a heated conversation with Gilfoyle. Later, a confrontation between Jared and Richard leads to a surprise confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: Saturn and Chasing Cars; Sleeping at Last, Find My Way Back; Eric Arjes, Gone Gone Gone; Caitlin Hart, Corey Grey

The doctors were able to stabilize Richard and close the wounds on his forearms. He had managed to pierce his radial artery on each arm which if he hadn’t been found, could have killed him. Richard was put on suicide watch and was scheduled to see a psychiatrist first thing in the morning to address the incident and figure out why he did this. Because the situation was obviously more dire than the doctors previously thought.

Everyone was told to leave for the night and come back in the morning. With some help from the doctors, Monica finally convinced Jared to leave for the night so he could, at the very least, shower, eat, and try to rest. The four barely spoke at all for the rest of the night. Jared couldn’t even look at Dinesh and Gilfoyle, let alone speak to them.

They found some rooms at small hotel nearby. To their objections, Jared wanted to be alone. Dinesh, on the other hand, didn’t want to be alone and asked to stay in Monica and Gilfoyle’s room.

The next morning Monica took a reluctant Jared to get a new shirt while Dinesh and Gilfoyle headed back to the hospital. They sat in the waiting room partly because neither of them knew what to say to Richard after everything that happened. The other part was a psychiatrist was already in with Richard.

Dinesh was just sitting with his elbows leaning on his thighs with his hands folded under his chin, deep in thought. He was distracted when his phone rang. He sat up and answered it, “Hey, Dinesh. We need to talk and this buff bodyguard isn’t letting me off the elevator.” It was Ron LaFlamme. Dinesh got up and walked down the hall towards the elevator. He nodded towards the guard and convinced him that it was alright to let Ron through. They had forgotten to put him on the pre-approved list of people that were allowed on the floor. The Feds were sticking to their security measures.

As Dinesh guided him down the hall towards the waiting area. “What do you want?”

“I wanted to talk you through what happens next, legally speaking, with the company, your lawsuit against Uber, and so forth. I also got an update from the Feds.”

Dinesh sighed. He really didn’t want to talk about Pied Piper because he really didn’t care too. “It’s a really bad time-”

“I didn’t think there was going to be a good one in the near future, so I figured I’d just get it over with.” Even though Ron didn’t know what happened the previous night, Dinesh supposed he had a point.

They arrived in the waiting area and sat down near Gilfoyle holding a paper coffee cup. Dinesh had no doubt the cup had Bailey’s or at least vodka in it. Ron filled in Gilfoyle on why he was there. “Even though I’m Pied Piper’s corporate counsel and don’t represent Richard personally, I thought I’d help out by temporally representing you.”

“What?”

“It’s normally done by a personal attorney or victims advocate but you can get one of those. It’s good to have a spokesperson, of sorts, to be a intermediary and work with the Feds, as well as do any press. Which you will have to at least release a statement from the company. Do you guys know about the press camped out outside? I got here and then had to find the back door, just in case they knew I’m your attorney. Which they probably do know.” Dinesh and Gilfoyle were well aware of the media. They knew this kind of story made headlines. They had also used the back entrance since they heard of the press. Ron started, “Firstly, I spoke to the Feds. I heard that Nick is most likely going to take a deal since the Feds basically caught him red handed. I heard the deal of all federal charges is several counts of torture, kidnapping, human trafficking, rape, violations of the Mann Act for attempting to forcibly take someone out of the country for sexual purposes and forcibly taking someone out of the state for sexual purposes. Finally, using a forged passport. He’ll be serving five life sentences to be served non-concurrently, so one at a time, with no chance of parole. So safe to say, he’ll never see the light of day again.”  

“Well that’s encouraging.” Dinesh gave a shrug.

“He doesn’t deserve to keep living, to keep breathing.”  
“Well, Washington state just abolished the death penalty so being in a tiny cell in a Supermax prison is the best they can do.” Ron told them.

“A taste of his own medicine.” Gilfoyle took a long sip of his spiked coffee.

Ron continued, “Diavolo on the other hand, won’t take a deal. The charge against him had been mended from murdering Richard to attempting to murder him. That’s in attention to all the Mann Act violations and multiple counts of human trafficking, human trafficking of minors, rape, rape of a minor,  torture, murder, and a bunch of financial crimes including but not limited to, racketeering and fraud.” He took a breath, “If convicted he faces multiple life sentences.”

“ _If?_ ”

“Well he has refused to take any deals. He has a legal dream team and you should never think a case is in the basket until it’s over. Richard will be a star witness when this goes to trial.”

“What?” Dinesh and Gilfoyle shared a small look of disbelief. Hours earlier Richard was bleeding out on the bathroom floor, they didn’t think he had the strength testify against Diavolo. “Isn’t there anyone else who can do that? Jared told me about a girl he talked to.”

“Yes, Summer.” Ron was aware, “Except she’s been on and off the grid since Jared talked to her the night everything happened. Also, she’s not the most reliable witness. Sympathetic yes, but reliable no.” They looked at him for clarification, “She’s been turned out most of her life, in and out of jail for prostitution and drugs. Richard doesn’t have so much as a parking ticket, fell into this backwards, has a great job, and he looks like an Eagle Scout. That’s just how trials work. A game of appearances, arguments, and perceptions. Although the defense will try to discredit him and his story as much as possible as well as Summer’s, but worry about that later.”

Ron added, “They’ve been trying to get someone in his crew to turn but they won’t. They’re fiercely loyal. We know that Diavolo ran that ring with fear and blind fierce loyalty. Not even his right hand man will talk badly about him.” He finished, “Although, apparently due to Richard’s statement they were able to arrest several state legislators that the Feds were investigating for being clients as well as in Diavolo’s pocket and turning the other way so the ring can continue. This is in addition to the cops, State Troopers, judges, and district attorneys he had either in his pocket to turn the other way and/or as clients.”

It blew their minds and absolutely horrified them how deep this ring went.

Ron went on to talk about going forward, “We’ll have to appeal the death certificate but that will be easy with Feds and Richard just going into court. Other aspects, more tricky. Now, your Uber lawsuit just went up in smoke since you and the company were suing Uber and their CEO for wrongful death. Although now we can refile for negligence and have Richard’s name on the suit and have his testimony, which will make our case not only a shoein but quick. Since Uber will probably want to settle. I know you wanted trial to showcase what they did but with Richard a quick settlement will probably be best.”

Ron went on with restructuring the cap table and who will be CEO going forward. If Dinesh was permanent or not. Dinesh and Gilfoyle were not listening in the slightest. Right now, they didn’t give a single shit about lawsuits or positions or settlements. They were focused on how their friend was currently on suicide watch and how they saw him bleeding out on a cold bathroom floor the previous night.

Dinesh interrupted Ron, “I’m sorry. We just can’t right now. It’s really not a good time.”

“Yeah, like I said, figured all of them were shit but decided to get it done.”

“No, you don’t understand.”

Gilfoyle finished Dinesh’s comment, “Last night, Richard almost bled out on the bathroom floor because he slit his wrists.”

Ron quickly silenced and turned to a deer in headlights. “ _Oh_. Oh shit it’s really bad.”

“Yeah, no shit it’s bad.” Dinesh snapped back.

Ron started to get up, “Umm… you can call me if you need me. I’ll stay in town a little while just incase.”  If he would have known how bad of time he accidentally choice, he would have just given them the highlights of the case and left.

After Ron left they sat in silence for a few moments before Dinesh lowly stated,  “This is our fault.”

Gilfoyle turned towards him in confusion, putting down his coffee cup, “What?”

“We must have said something, did something. Perhaps it was you going on about how well the business is doing without him that just set him off.”

Gilfoyle simply defended, “He deserved to know. We shouldn’t keep him in the dark. He asked so I answered.” He added, “I also do not feel it was me talking business that set him off the edge. I think it was the monsters who turned him out and tortured him for a year.”

Dinesh got up and stood in front of Gilfoyle, his voice steadily raising as he made his points, “I’m not saying leave him in the dark or anything. Those fuckers seem to have beaten his body and mind like scrambled eggs! What if this was the last straw for him? What if we could have prevented that from happening. That perhaps he didn’t need to hear how his life’s work was a success _without him_! That he would have been there if he wasn’t taken away so cruelly!” He took a deep breath to calm down, “This would break him.”

Gilfoyle stood up making Dinesh move back a few steps to gain some space, “What the fuck are you talking about? He’s already broken! The Richard we knew, **_died_ ** ! He died the second he got in that Uber!” He pointed towards down the hall towards Richard’s room, “That man in there, that is just a broken shell of a person. He looks and sounds like Richard, but he’s not.” He took a deep breath,  “It _blows my mind_ that he is somehow still alive. Let alone coherent enough that we were able to have a clear, albeit short, conversation.” Dinesh knew GIlfoyle had valid points, even though he had some points as well. Before Gilfoyle sat back down he said, “On a final note, some people try to commit suicide for attention. Others just want to fucking die,”

Dinesh’s eyebrows curled, “Which do you think he is?”

“Very much the latter.” Gilfoyle sat back down and grabbed his coffee cup.

An involuntary shiver shook Dinesh’s body to his core because he remembered that Gilfoyle saw Old Nick’s videos. He saw the brutality, the horror, the terror. Why Richard might want to do something like this.

And Old Nick was only half of the equation.

Gilfoyle muttered as he took a sip of coffee, “As for your idea of ‘preventing it’, it was inevitable.”

Dinesh stood there in shock.

* * *

 

Monica and Jared arrived later that morning so Jared had a shirt that didn’t have blood on it. He didn’t even look at Dinesh and Gilfoyle.

Dr. Anderson, the physiatrist who had been working with Richard came to update them, “Richard eventually opened up to me that he was seeing Old Nick in the room with him, taunting him about various triggers. Which we believed is what prompted the attempt. These kinds of guys also will use anything they can to make their victims lose all esteem and confidence. Make them feel like they have nowhere to go. That if they leave, they might as well die. There was also a failed escape attempt from Diavolo that left several dead and just happened to have occured when the Feds were putting the pieces together about Diavolo and the Uber Kidnapper. He thought if he just held on a few more hours then no one would have died. His friend, Gabriella, would not have died. He has a lot of guilt about this, which I believe also contributed to the attempt.”

No one could breathe. No one could speak. Doctor Anderson finished, “We have him on some meds for the hallucinations as well as lots of therapy planned going forward. I believe Doctor Winters already told you, this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. You can see him later. Make sure to take care of yourselves. Go get something to eat or shower, or get some rest.”

The three went out to get some air as well as some food, but Jared still couldn’t really talk to them yet so he stayed back. Even though the doctors said the attempt was most likely due to the hallucinations  most likely brought on by psychosis, he couldn’t shake from his mind if Dinesh and Gilfoyle provoked it. He couldn’t get Richard’s words from his mind,

_“It’s okay...He told me to.”_

He sat in the waiting room as those words and visuals flooded his mind. He couldn’t turn it off since it happened the previous night. He had just gotten Richard back, he had done _so much_ to get this far and he was going to lose Richard _again_ due to those low life pieces of shit. He eventually put his head in his hands and cried.

After he cried and managed to calm down and clean his face of the tears he saw the three come back and go towards Richard’s room.

He got up, “What are you doing?”

“Going to see Richard.” Gilfoyle simply responded.

“We’re going to apologize. Just in case something did provoke him.”

There was the rational side of Jared that said, ‘ _Alright, they’re just being good friends.’_ Another side of Jared, a fiercely protective and loyal yet paranoid part, said, ‘ _They’re just going to fuck it up again. Just like they did last time. He can’t handle it. This time Richard may not make it. But you can prevent that.’_

That is the part of Jared that won out in his mind. He stood in front of them folding his arms over his chest, “You’re not going anywhere.”

Gilfoyle folded his arms and gave his best murder face, “Excuse me?”

This had no effect on a man who had seen the depths of depravity with Diavolo’s friends. “I don’t think that is a good idea right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think you should be seeing him right now. I think you should wait until he’s in a better frame of mind.”

“What are you, making decisions for him now?”

“I am his medical proxy.”

Gilfoyle did not back down, “So now you’re saying who he can and cannot see, who does that remind you of?” His bitter and sarcastic comment made Jared’s blood boil.

Little did they know Richard was peeping outside the open hospital room door. He wondered what was going on.

He saw Monica put her hands between the two, “Okay, you look like you’re about to kill each other again. Jared, Gilfoyle, how about you go cool down and we try this again later.” She tried to get the men to follow her back towards the waiting room and was eventually successful.

“What?...What was that?”

Jared turned around to the small familiar voice that got his attention. When he saw Richard his face and body immediately softened.  “Oh Richard. It’s okay, nothing to be concerned with.”

Richard slightly cocked his head, “Why did you do that?”

Jared sighed and motioned for him to go back into the room. Richard did and Jared followed him.

Richard asked again, “Why did you do that?” He started to pace the hospital room with one hand rolling the iv pole. The hospital gown was closed tight enough that Jared didn’t see the scars on his back and the scrub pants hid the scars on his legs.

“Are..are we alone?” Jared asked back. Richard stopped pacing and looked up him in shock. He knew what Jared was referring to. There was a long silence that stole Jared’s breath before Richard finally answered.

“Yes.”

Jared breathed a sigh of relief and finally answered Richard’s question. “Because last time didn’t go over well and I didn’t want to push you towards the edge again. You’re not in a good place right now.”

Richard’s eyebrows rose, “No shit, Jared! I’m terrified! I’m fucked! I’m….broken.” He was silent for a few seconds, “I don’t feel like I’m ever going to get better! Like I’ll always be fucked!” He paced in small circles and put his hands over his face. His wrists now encircled with white bandages, “Just leave me. Now. Please. I’ve already been such a burden on you guys.” He moved his hands and noticed Jared wasn’t moving, “Leave! Now!” He pointed towards the door, “Go! Leave!” On top of everything he couldn’t handle being seen so broken and vulnerable.

He stormed over and peaked out through the windows blinds at the sun, which still hurt his eyes but he loved to watch. For it had been so long since he’d last seen the sun before his escape. Richard fiddled with the long white bandages around his wrists.

Jared stood there looking like a kicked puppy. He knew that he couldn’t leave Richard, even if he tried. His voice was calm and simple, “No.”

RIchard turned around, suddenly overcome with confusion, “Wha-?” He slowly walked back towards Jared.

Jared looked Richard in the eyes, “You have me. You will **_always_** have me. You could never and would never be a burden. I don’t know what lies they told you but that has never and will never be true. I have **_never_** given up on you and never will I. Even when they said...that you were gone, I never believed them. I went to hell and back to find you ever since the night you disappeared. You **_can’t_** get rid of me that easily.”

Jared took a deep breath and his feelings started pouring out of him like water behind a broken dam, “I **_can’t_** lose you. Not again. I won’t survive. Everyday was pure **_agony_** without you. Because I can’t...I can’t live without you, Richard. I love you. I fucking love you so much I can’t handle it. It’s made me do so many things. It’s made me do insane things for you. Because I love you, Richard. I love you.”

Jared’s eyes widened and he took a step back, raising his hand towards his mouth. He couldn’t believe what he had just blurted out. ‘ _Oh Donald. What did you do? He’s already dealing with so much and now you give him this. It’s too much.’_

Richard gazed downwards and rocked back and forth while fiddling with the bandages again. Jared wanted to tell him to stop for fear that he’d rip his stitches but it really wasn’t the time. “You..you know...the man who...took me...the first one...they...threatened to hurt you. If I didn’t do what they wanted. They had your picture.”

Jared’s lost his breath for a second as his eyes widened. He knew how Diavolo controlled people, but it was another thing entirely when Richard said it out loud. Richard’s fidgeting intensified as he continued, “I quickly realized...they could do anything to me...Just...don’t hurt you. Whatever happens. Make sure they don’t hurt Jared. Do whatever they want to ensure that doesn’t happen.” Jared put his hand to his mouth to cover the shock. “My friend, Gabriella told me early...find a goal...something to live for...to survive for... It was you, Jared.” He looked up at Jared, “My survival goal was to tell you that I love you too.”

They stood in silence for a few seconds before Jared raised his arms to ask for a hug. Richard accepted and clasped his arms around Jared, inhaling the sweet and clean scent. Richard couldn’t help but wonder why. Why did Jared love him? He didn’t think he was worthy of it. He also had no idea where they went from here. He finally released from the hug and he asked Jared, “What...what happens now?” Jared looked to explain to him what he meant.

“I’m trying to sort through everything and stay off the brink of insanity that I’m apparently dancing on. We just declared our love for each other. I know what normally happens after but...what do we...do we...I can’t right now...but if you want to...we can.”

Jared’s eye grew, “Oh-no-no-no-oh-no-no. I don’t mean that. Nothing like that.  Nothing like a relationship. I don’t even know why I said that. It just slipped out. I don’t know where it came from.” He couldn’t help but beat himself up for even insinuating a relationship after something like this.

“Okay.”

They were both silent for what seemed like an eternity. Richard fiddled with his bandages again.

Jared finally spoke up when he got an idea, “Is that something you could possibly want one day?”

Richard looked down, picking at his wrist bandages, “Maybe...one day.”

“Gabriella gave you goals to survive for before?”

Richard looked up and squinted, “Yes. Why?”

“Maybe that could be another goal. Something to work towards. I don’t know if that’s attainable. Maybe with lots of time and therapy. If you ever want to give it a go, just tell me. We can go as slow as we need to. I don’t care if it takes 10 years or longer to even _want_ to give us a _chance._ If we ever happen, it will be because you felt comfortable enough to initiate it and you control the speed.”

Richard squinted as he gave it a thought and nodded. “You like it?” Jared asked

“Yeah...I do.”

Jared affirmed his stance, “As much as I would love to take away all the pain, I know I can’t. I wish I could snap my fingers and you’d be alright again. I know I can’t do that. And that kills me. I know that I cannot take away or love away that pain. But I will be there with you every step of the way. If you ever want to talk, I’m here. Maybe one day, I don’t care if we’re old and grey, maybe you will be in a place where a real relationship is even in the cards. I just want you to know that I will always love you. It doesn’t matter if we’re formally together or not because you’re home safe and alive. That’s all that matters. We’ll handle getting you better.”

Jared felt like he was just stuttering word vomit and hoped Richard understood his intent. He knew that he couldn’t ‘fix’ Richard or ‘love him back to normal’ but he’d stand by him and support him through his recovery and therapy. Jared hoped that one day in the far future they would be able to see if a relationship could work, but if Richard never got to that point, Jared was perfectly content with that. Richard was safe, alive, and getting the help he needed which was all Jared could hope for.

Richard had to ask, “This whole thing,” He made a vague gesture between them, “Is nice and all. It’s relieving to know that you feel the same but...I can’t help but wonder, why do you love me? I don’t deserve it. I’m just a nuisance. I just..break everything I touch.” Richard knew he hit a nerve because Jared looked like he had been punched in the gut.

It was in that moment Jared truly realized the mind games that must have been played to get Richard this far gone. The suicide attempt was one thing for Jared, but being undeserving of his love, that was another. Jared couldn’t bring himself to speak due to shock. He truly realized how long of a road Richard had to go and how he’d never leave his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an old fic edit with that last scene [Check it out!](https://onequartercanadian.tumblr.com/post/175975631660/lyrics-haunted-kelly-clarkson-the-weight-of-us)  
> Also this really reminded me of that last scene. Damn the feels man. "I don't quite know/How to say/How I feel/Those three words/Are said too much/They're not enough" and "All that I am/All that I ever was/Is here in your perfect eyes/They're all I can see" -Chasing Cars 
> 
> Let me know what you think! I'll respond because I love to talk about my fic!!


	38. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinesh and Gilfoyle discuss their last conversation with Richard which gets heated. Jared reaches a breaking point.

They just stood there in silence. Jared didn’t know what to say when Richard said he was just a nuisance. Richard didn’t know how to change the topic. They were interrupted by a nurse coming to check on Richard. Suicide watch didn’t give much privacy. The nurse told Jared to come back later because Richard needed some rest and advised Jared to do the same. She noticed that he didn’t look like he slept the night before, which was correct.

Jared regretfully walked out to the hallway, lost in thought about what just happened. Monica got his attention. “Hey, Jared!”

He slowly raised his head, “What?”

She walked up to him, “Just wanted to ask how you’re doing?”

Jared squinted, “What? What do you mean?”

“I mean all this has to be difficult for you. Seeing Richard so beat up, seeing him…” She couldn’t truly bring herself to talk about the suicide attempt. “You were ‘undercover’ with those guys. You’ve had to have seen some pretty horrific shit.”

He did.

But Jared dealt with it like he dealt with all hardships in his life. He also had to disconnect and compartmentalize because he needed to keep his focus on finding Richard.

Monica continued, “If you ever need anyone to talk to. I’m here. We’re all here. We could even get you someone to talk to if that’s better.”

“I’m fine.” Jared insisted, “We need to be worrying about him. We need to be taking care of him.”

“You can’t take care of Richard if you’re not at 100%. He needs you. He needs _all_ of you. So you need to take care of yourself so you can take care of him”

Jared didn’t know what to say to that. He knew that Monica had a point, but he felt the _intense_ _burning_ need to take care of Richard and get him back to a good place mentally and physically. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t fall apart, especially not in front of Richard. He needed Jared. He needed to be strong for Richard.

Monica asked again, “Are you alright?”

Jared bitterly spat, “I’m fine.” He stormed off towards the elevators. Monica sighed as her shoulders dropped. She knew he wasn’t not fine and to keep an eye on him.

* * *

Dinesh and GIlfoyle were sitting in the waiting area. They saw Jared leave and thought that it was a good time to address what happened with Richard the last time they talked. They didn’t want to but felt like they needed to. They had to know if their talk contributed to Richard’s attempt to take his life.

Richard was standing near the window looking through the slats in the blinds with one hand bracing himself on the iv pole. He heard a knock on the open door and turned around, thinking it was Jared, “Jared?” His body fell when he saw Dinesh and Gilfoyle.

“Umm. No.” Dinesh started as they walked into the room, “We just…”

“We apologize if anything we said yesterday made you-”

“Yeah yeah yeah.” He gulped, “Um. He told me to.” Richard pointed to the corner. Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s faced dropped. They remembered what the doctors told them.

Gilfoyle’s voice turned deadly serious, “Richard, how many people are in this room right now?”

Richard thought for a moment, “Three.”

“You’re certain?”

“Yes. He-he...was here earlier….this morning. Not now.”

Dinesh and GIlfoyle slowly walked closer to him but careful to leave him space. “How are you feeling?” As soon as Dinesh asked that he felt it was a dumb question and wished he phrased it better.

“Not gonna try to off myself again, if that’s what you’re asking.”

It was.

“Well...that’s....that’s good.”

Richard shook his head, “I’m sorry. Why are you here again?”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle took a seat and Richard got back into bed, pulling the thin blanket over him. He couldn’t stand for too long without his knee really starting to hurt.

“If anything we said the other day set you off, we didn’t mean to. Perhaps it was too much too soon.”

Gilfoyle defended his actions, “I knew you’d find out eventually. I figured it was best you find out from us. And you asked so I answered.”

Richard opened his mouth, about to respond but thought for a few seconds, figuring out how to word what he was thinking, “Why...Why are you still here?”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s faces dropped in confusion and they gave each other a quick glance. “What do you mean?”

“Well...since things are going so well without me. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be doing your jobs?”

Their jaws slightly dropped and eyebrows curled trying to figure out Richard’s logic behind this comments. “You’re our friend. So yeah...that takes precedent.” Dinesh felt weird explaining something so seemingly basic to him and Gilfoyle.

Richard finished his thought process, “You don’t need me. You’re doing just fine without me. I’m just a nuance. A burden.” He shrugged and muttered, “He’s right, I would have found a way to fuck things up somehow. You’re all better off.”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s stomachs dropped and curled into balls. They truly realized the kinds of mind games that must have been played to get Richard this far down the rabbit hole. They realized how broken he was.

“You can just...leave. I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

Dinesh just stared as Gilfoyle rubbed his beard and started getting angry. He muttered, “You fucking shit.” His voice raised, “Do you think this last year’s been easy for us?” Dinesh turned his attention to Gilfoyle. “Jared very nearly died. We had to _literally_ pick him off the floor, _more_ than once. When we weren’t working we had to keep Jared from having a complete mental breakdown. Then he just fucked off to do something so goddamn insane I’m _shocked_ he isn’t dead.” Dinesh subtly kicked Gilfoyle’s shoe to warn him that he was approaching a mind field and if Jared wanted to tell Richard about his ‘undercover mission’ that was his prerogative. It wasn’t their problem to deal with nor their story to tell. In response, Gilfoyle switched it up, “As for the company, Jared’s _barely_ been in since you disappeared. He was in _maybe_ twice a month. That’s being generous. Monica came in to keep everything and all of us together. Dinesh has been working sixteen hour days because he couldn’t stand the idea of failing a company that not only he didn’t want, and wasn’t his, but also was the legacy of his friend we assumed was brutally murdered. We didn’t want to move that fast but Laurie insisted. After the Feds called it we didn’t have any evidence to think differently.”

Dinesh spoke up, his tone was softer and lower than Gilfoyle’s, “I don’t think I’ve seen Gilfoyle sober since you disappeared. It only gotten worse since they took down Diavolo.”

Richard sat there in complete silence. His face looked like a deer in headlights.

Before anyone could say anything else they heard a knock on the door.

“It’s Jared.”

“Come in.” Richard responded.

Jared came in with a small bag. “The doctors said you could start having solids since they took  out the feeding tube. I brought you some chicken noodle soup. The restaurant had great Yelp reviews.” He pulled out the small take out bowl and put it on the little table. He pulled out the plastic spoon, crackers, and some napkins. “I hope you like it.”

“Thank you.” Richard gave a small smile in thanks. He slowly opened the container and steam poured out of the bowl. He took a small spoonful and it tasted delicious. He couldn’t remember the last time he had tasted something that delicious. He started inhaling the soup.

“Be careful. You don’t want to get sick.”

Richard didn’t slow down. Everyone had the same harrowing thought, ‘ _When was the last time Richard was able to eat anything? Let alone have a proper meal?’_

They didn’t want to know the answer to that. They knew it would be a very long time based on his condition.

“Oh Angel, look at you.” Richard stopped and looked up, seeing Old Nick in the corner. “You’re such a pig.”

‘ _He’s not real. He’s not real. He’s not real.’_ Richard gulped as he kept telling himself.

Everyone apparently noticed Richard’s behavior change because Jared got his attention by asking what was wrong.

“Nothing.” He answered

‘ _He’s not real. He’s not real. He’s not real. Keep eating. He’s not real.’_

* * *

That evening Jared was watching Richard as he rested. Jared sat there and watched Richard’s chest rise and fall with his breaths. He worried so damn much about Richard going forward. Jared watched as the heart rate monitor which used to read a relatively steady rate of about 50 beats per minute exponentially increase to more than 170 and Richard’s breathing start to turn shallow and faint. Jared jumped up and stood over him. Richard started thrashing in his sleep and whimper as sweat poured down his face. His whimpers soon turned to deafening screams. He bolted up screaming. Jared tried to calmly wake Richard from his night terror. “Richard. Richard. Please wake up. It’s just a dream. Please wake up.” He knew how hard it could be to wake someone with a night terror. After multiple failed attempts at waking him, Jared settled for ensuring that Richard didn’t harm himself.  Jared’s eyes welled with tears and he fought off hyperventilating. He felt so damn useless not being able to do anything. Richard fell down the to the bed and began thrashing again. Richard slowly started to calm himself down and started to whimper again but this time he muttered, “Please stop. Please. It hurts. It hurts. I’ll do anything else. Please. It hurts. I’ll do anything else. Anything.”

Jared couldn’t hold his emotions in anymore. He got up and stormed out. He didn’t know where to go but he ended up on the roof. When he opened the door he saw a slender female figure across the roof shadowed by the setting sun in the cloudless sky.

Monica turned around and saw that Jared looked like he was about to breakdown. “Jared. Are you-”

“I’m not alright.” Finally saying those words felt like a weight was being lifted off his shoulders. Monica’s body fell as she gave him a soft look of sympathy. She walked over towards him as Jared’s emotions took hold of him as he screamed. “I’M NOT OKAY! I AM NOT ALRIGHT! HE’S THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO HELP HIM! I FEEL COMPLETELY FUCKING HELPLESS!” He took a couple shaky breaths, “They completely broke him. Shattered. I don’t know how to help him.”

Monica let him get it out. “He’s so far down the rabbit hole. They messed with him in _every_ way they could. “ He let out a throaty yell and punched the nearby door, “And they DON’T CARE! THEY PHYSICALLY CAN’T CARE! All they care about is themselves and money!” His breaths came out like growls, “All I want to do is to break into prison and kill Nick and Diavolo, slowly and without mercy. I want to wrap my hands around their necks or slice their throats open and see the life slowly drain from their eyes. I want to kill every jon who ever laid their filthy hands on Richard.” Jared tried to calm himself down to varying degrees of success, “You know why I haven’t? Why I haven’t gone on a revenge fueled killing spree?” Monica was hesitant to answer Jared’s seemingly rhetorical question. “Because Richard needs me. He needs me more than I need revenge…That is the only thing I know. The only thing I know he needs right now. The only way to help him, is to be with him. As much as I need revenge, he needs me more.”

“Well…” Monica thought, “Richard might not even know what will help him. But I know, and he knows, that he needs you. You’ll figure out the rest as you go along.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, “Yeah. If he doesn’t tell you what he needs directly, I know you’ll be able to figure it out.” She added, “Also, if you ever need someone to listen. I’m here.”


	39. Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinesh and Gilfoyle get an unsolicited offer. Richard finds some of the press surrounding his disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the next chapter are a little short but there's some really exciting things to come!!

In the coming days Richard slowly started to show some signs of improvement. The hallucinations of Old Nick started to become fewer and fewer. He hoped they never came back. He insisted on everyone going back to work. Insisting that they didn’t need to be camped out on the hospital floor. Jared didn’t listen but Monica, Dinesh, and GIlfoyle started splitting their time. Spending a few days in Palo Alto getting work done and in Seattle with Richard. Upon Ron LaFlamme's advisement they released a public statement that said in a manner of words, we’re glad Richard’s alive and please respect our privacy. They were very tight lipped when at the office not only to respect Richard’s privacy but to ensure that no one could go to the press and sell the story. 

Dinesh and Gilfoyle were in Palo Alto getting lunch in a small uncrowded burger joint. Dinesh was scrolling through his phone. “So apparently Dara is testifying before Congress today about how this could have happened.”

Gilfoyle took swallowed some of his burger, “They’re just getting around to that  _ now _ ?”

“They actually scheduled it when the Feds caught him and the date just happened to be today.”

Gilfoyle wiped his mouth and beard with a paper napkin, “It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not going to do anything. Nothing happened with Zuckerberg or when Pichai from Google testified. It’s merely a show trial. It’s supposed to cover the FBI’s tracks and make the public feel better.” He added, “Dara testified in front of a bunch of old bureaucrats whose password is without a doubt, password.”

Dinesh remembered how clueless the Feds were when they were investigating Old Nick’s stream. How they thought they could just code their way out of it. 

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

Just then an older woman approached them. “Hello. My name is Jeanette Grayson, a producer with  _ Dateline _ . If I could just have a minute of your time.”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle put down their burgers Dinesh politely said, “Excuse me, we’re having lunch.”

“It’ll just take a moment.”

Dinesh reiterated the line he had said before, “Any statement will be made through our attorney. We're not interested in any interviews at this time.” He nodded, “We’d like to continue our lunch in peace. Good day.”

Jeanette grabbed a chair and sat down at the side of the small square table. “You know that everyone wants this exclusive. Normally when a tech CEO of a now successful company is involved with a sex ring, _they’re the one getting arrested_.” She paused for a few seconds, “As I see it, Richard is going to have  _ a lot _ of bills going forward. Lots of therapy.  Most likely, for the rest of his life. Who knows if he’ll ever be able to work again. Insurance won’t pay for all of this.” They knew Richard was close to reaching what insurance will cover and the rest will be on him, “While you’re figuring out redistributing his assets, primarily Pied Piper and it’s stock, he’s going to need money to live on. Who knows how or when that is going to work out. Like I said, he may never be able to work again and need something to live on.” 

Dinesh subtly balled his fists, resisting the overwhelming urge to go off on her. Gilfoyle subtly grasped the table, resisting the urge to flip it in anger. To them, she wasn’t too different from anyone else Richard had contact with in the past year. Someone who just wanted to use Richard to make money. They knew the kind of stats she’d get with this salacious story that everyone, especially True Crime buffs, would love to hear.

“At least this way he’d get to the control the story. Get the record straight. His story could help other victims of abuse and trafficking.” She tried to convince them.

It  _ killed _ Dinesh and Gilfoyle that they had to remain calm and collected, just reciting the company line. Because they knew if they gave her  _ any _ reaction, she’d use it against them and make it public. So they had to give her nothing to work with. Dinesh repeated, “Any statement will be made through our attorney. We're not interested in any interviews at this time. Now, please leave.” Dinesh started looking over her head for someone behind the register to kick her out. 

Before he grabbed anyone’s attention she said,  “Fine. I’ll leave my card if he ever wants to talk. I’ll ensure he’ll be compensated more than well.” She left her business card on the table before leaving. Gilfoyle immediately took it and ripped it up into tiny pieces and put it in his empty fry container.  She wasn’t even out of sight before he did it and just just nodded as she left.

* * *

 

Richard was sitting in the hospital bed just thinking. He watched Jared sleep in the chair next to him. He fell asleep a little while earlier and Richard didn’t have the heart to wake him. It was clear that Jared wasn’t sleeping. Neither was Richard for that matter. Because whenever he did he had night terrors. He was working with the doctors about them but hadn’t seen results yet. 

Richard couldn’t stop his mind from racing, so he grabbed Jared’s phone from the table and unlocked it. He was sort of surprised that he still knew the code and it still worked. The doctors told him to stay away from media until it died down, but he opened up Chrome and started typing his name in anyway. He stopped when he saw Google’s Autocomplete results for his name.

_ Richard Hendricks Uber Kidnapper _

_ Richard Hendricks dead _

_ Richard Hendricks alive _

_ Richard Hendricks Pied Piper _

_ Richard Hendricks PiperNet _

_ ‘This is your legacy. You created a new internet and all everyone will remember you for is what happened to you. How you supposedly died. How you should have died.’ _

He clicked on the second result. He saw plenty of articles about the Kidnapper and Diavolo. He read his obituary which was a real mindfuck. Not much can compare to that. He didn’t know who wrote it but it was very subtle and kind. His cause of death was cited as a “tragic incident” with no elaborations or mentions of the Kidnapper or the ring. He went back to the Google search results and saw a Bloomberg video with Dinesh in the thumbnail with the title, “New Pied Piper CEO Lashes Out”. He clicked on it. It didn’t take long to get to the meat of the interview. 

_ “Being permanent CEO in this period of growth must really be exciting.” _

_ Dinesh looked at Emily Chang like she was crazy, “...Exciting? Fuck no. Do you think I  _ **_wanted_ ** _ this job? No. I’m sitting here as CEO because our previous CEO and our friend was  _ **_brutally murdered_ ** _ and this was how his will is written!” _

_ Emily had a completely blank stare, like a deer in headlights. Dinesh continued, now unable to stop his angry emotional outburst, “He was kidnapped by some sick, piece of shit excuse of a person who was able to hack into Uber’s absolute shit security! Then sold him like a fucking object to some other sick, sadistic psychopath who made him do unspeakable things before murdering him! And where was Uber during all of this? When elevan people over two fucking years were getting kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered using their service?! Claiming they didn’t have control of what their drivers did and claiming that they were working with the Feds! Well I call fucking bullshit on that! If they did something earlier than Richard would still be a-fucking-live! If they gave even a single shit they would have made sure something like this couldn’t even happen in the first place!” _

_ He took a calming breath, “He most likely died bloody, scared shitless, and alone. Something no one deserves. And that low life sick piece of shit will probably never tell us how it happened or when. He’ll probably never tell us where he buried Richard’s body.” He gulped as the realization hit him, “...We’ll probably never get to bury our friend.” _

Richard watched in shock as Dinesh went off on her. He realized that perhaps Dinesh and GIlfoyle were telling the truth when they were there the other day. He truly realized the toll his disappearance must have had on his friends. On Jared. 

He went back to the Google search. He didn’t have the strength to look at the comments. Instead of looking at more article he closed the tab and closed the app, putting the phone back on the table. He sat in shock, absorbing everything he had just read and watched. 

He needed to get up, to move around. It was slightly easier to move since he wasn’t on iv’s anymore. He was had been on solid food and solid pain meds for a few days and didn’t need iv hydration or antibiotics anymore. He walked over towards the bathroom, he didn’t turn the light on because he didn’t want to see himself in the mirror.  He briefly considered taking a shower but the last thing he wanted was to get naked. He considered showering with his hospital gown and scrub pants on and get getting a new pair but it wasn’t worth the effort. Even just thinking about showering was too tiring. He would also have to tend to his various stitches afterwards which he just didn’t have the energy to do.

Instead he just threw warm water on his face. It felt nice but he felt this overwhelming urge to cleanse himself. He grabbed the little bar of hand soap and rubbed it on his hands till they were frothy then violently scrubbed his face. He felt the stubble around his face which he wanted to shave but the hospital staff refused to give him a razer, no matter how dull. He figured that was with good reason. As he scrubbed he thought about what his legacy apparently was and if he would ever be rid of it. If he could scrub it away. If he would ever be clean again.

He didn’t know the answer to any of those questions.


	40. Repair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard receives an interesting option. Doctors recommend some reconstructive surgery.

Jared knocked on the hospital door one cloudy morning, “Hey, Richard.”

“Hey, Jared.” Richard gave a small smile. Jared had been there everyday since he was admitted. It was nice to see him everyday, especially after thinking that he’d never see Jared again.

“How are you doing today?” Jared sat in his normal seat next to the bed. 

“I...I just want to go home. I’m so...sick of being here. I just want go home.” 

Jared sadly smiled, he understood why Richard was antsy to leave the hospital. He was getting stronger everyday, even gaining some weight. His bruises were decreasing in severity and visibly, even though most of his scars would never truly fade. The doctors were keeping him mostly for psychological reasons. When you try to kill yourself because a hallucination told you to after a long series of traumas, doctors understandably wanted to keep you nearby for treatment.

“You’ll be able to come home soon. I know it.” 

Richard remembered that he didn’t technically have a home to go back to. He was crashing at Jared’s after being kicked out of the hostel. A wave of uneasiness crashed over him. He asked, “I can still...it’s cool that I...stay with you right? Just till I get back on my feet.”

Jared was confused for a moment as to why Richard would ask but smiled, “Of course. You’re welcome as long as you’d like. You didn’t even have to ask. Never worry about being homeless. You shouldn’t be alone now anyway.”

Jared was right about that. Richard had spent enough time by himself over the past few months. Doctor Winters came in with a knock, “Hello.” 

“Hi.” 

Doctor Winters walked into the room, “How are we doing today?”

Richard sighed, “I want to go home.”

Doctor WInters gave the same sad smile as Jared did moments earlier, “I know. We just want to keep you a little bit longer. I wanted to talk to you today about having reconstructive surgery. Particularly replacing your knee, we could put pins in but it’s probably best to replace it all together and repair some broken ligaments. As well as repairing your nose, making it straight again and thus making it easier for you to breathe. We were waiting till you were stronger and would have a better reaction with the anesthesia. We may be able to do both in the same surgery but I’ll have to discuss that with the surgical team. Also, we can talk about plastic surgery to remove the burn on your chest. Where we’d most likely remove the damaged skin and replace it with skin grafts from another part of your body, like your thigh. Although right now our priority is you walking and breathing better.”

Richard shrugged, “Yeah, whatever you think’s best.”

The doctor hid his sigh, as did Jared, “Well, what do you want to do? Do you want us to work on your knee and/or your nose? Do you want us to prioritize the burn first? This is all completely your decision.” They were trying to give Richard his autonomy back but it was hard for Richard.  Compliance had been, quite literally, beaten into him. It was a hard habit to break.

“Would doing surgery mean more time in the hospital?”

Normally they would want Richard to go to rehab afterwards but in his case it was best to get him home as soon as they deemed it was safe. “We’d get you out of here as soon as possible. So a few extra days. Then outpatient physical therapy back home.”

“Alright.”

Jared caught Richard’s attention, “How about you think about it and get back to them this afternoon.”

Richard nodded, “Alright.”

The doctors left and Richard turned to Jared, “What should I do?”

“Well it’s ultimately your decision-” RIchard heavily sighed. The amount of times he’d heard that from Jared and the doctors. “I would suggest having at least your knee and nose fixed before coming home. You can get the skin grafts back at home.

They heard another knock on the door. “Hey, Richie.” He recognized that voice. It was Ron LaFlamme. 

“Hey, Ron. What are you doing here?”

“There’s some business we need to discuss and I was wondering if you were up for it.” Ron stepped into the room. He tried not to flinch at Richard’s rough appearance. His bruises were fading but still visible. The most prevalent being around his neck and around his eye. Jared looked at RIchard hesitantly. He really didn’t want Richard dealing with any more than he had to, but like everything else, it was up to Richard to decide. 

“Sure. What’s up?”

“Firstly, have the Feds updated you on the case? Nothing has really happened since but do you know about the charges, the deal, etc.?”

“Yeah.” The Feds told him about Old Nick’s deal and the amended charges against Diavolo. 

“Good. Then next and final order of business, do you know that the guys and the company filed a lawsuit against Uber a few months back for wrongful death?” He figured they’d talk about restructuring the business at a later date. Everyone knew that Richard wasn’t going back to work anytime soon. It would also needed to be voted on by the board, so Richard would have  to convince everyone that he was fit to lead the company.

That was news to Richard. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t think of anything to say. 

“Alright. So they didn’t tell you. Well they did after the CEO, Dara, wanted them to sign an NDA. They had a few choice words for him before calling me. The guys didn’t want to settle, but since you’re still kicking the suit just went up in smoke.”

“Well sorry about that.” Richard retorted which made Jared understandably uneasy. 

“...No, that’s actually really good for the suit because we can refile with your name as well as the company’s and file for negligence. We’ll have a  _ much  _ stronger case. I didn’t read the police report and medical history but I saw how thick they are. You’re entitled to a shit ton of money for pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, and forgone future earnings. Money that would cover you for life. Uber’s gonna want to get this over with as soon as possible so they’ll want to settle. Which is a better idea than taking this to trial. Even though you’ll most certainly win.”

Richard kept his eyes low, picking at the blanket, “So...this is about putting a...price...on what happened?”

Richard had been used for money more times than he could count, this didn’t seem much different to him. 

Jared and Ron shared a look. “No, they played a part in what happened. Legally, nothing’s really going to happen, but this is a way to hold them responsible.”

Jared added, “It’s your way of saying that how they acted is not okay and you won’t stand for it. They were complacent in what happened. Nick and Diavolo’s are facing justice. Why shouldn’t Uber?”

Richard thought about it for a while. “Alright, fine. We can do it.” He turned to Jared, “Also, you can tell the doctor I’ll do the surgery on my nose and knee.”

Jared slightly smiled, “I’ll go to the nurses station right now.” He reassured Richard, “Everything’s going to be okay. We’re going to work this out.”

* * *

 

They got Richard into surgery the next day, they were able to do both at once and found a plastic surgeon in Palo Alto to repair the brand on his chest with skin grafts. 

Once Richard was out of surgery Jared wanted to see him in the recovery room but the doctors said he’d be back up in his room shortly after he woke. As soon as Richard was brought back to his room, Jared was waiting. The doctors left them alone as soon as they got Richard settled. He had a large bandage over and under his nose and his knee was wrapped up in bandages and elevated on a pillow.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like a bus hit me.” Richard groaned, his eyes barely open. His head was still spinning a little from the anesthesia and his mouth still felt dry and cottony, even though he’d already had some water. 

“The doctors told me it went well.” 

Richard nodded, “Yeah, that’s good. The sooner I can get out of here the better.”

“You should rest. You need it.” Jared gave a small smile. 

Richard didn’t need to be told twice, he was beat. Although there was a part of him that didn’t want to because of the nightmares he was sure to have. His body soon gave in and he fell into a deep restless slumber.


	41. Calls Me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard is cleared to go home and discharged from the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by; Calls Me Home; Shannon LaBrie
> 
> I'm excited about this one!!!

Doctor Winters walked into Richard’s room one morning a few days after surgery with a big smile on his face. 

“Good morning. How are you feeling?”

“He took a couple steps yesterday.” Jared was excited to note

“That’s good. How’s the pain?”

“Not as bad as it was before.” Richard answered. His nose and knee were still wrapped in bandages. 

“Well that’s encouraging. Your breathing should improve in a couple more days.” He got to the reason why he was there, “You’re going to be very happy about this. We think we can discharge you today.” Richard and Jared breathed a sigh of relief. “We can go over your aftercare plan and have you out of here by this afternoon.”

“That’s amazing. Thank you, Doctor.” Richard said.

“Can we fly back or do we have to stay in the city a little while longer? Like is it safe for him to fly?”

“I would say limit airport walking but I see no reason why he can’t fly home.”

Jared was bouncing with excitement, “I’ll get the tickets.”

Richard was more than ready to go home but was hesitant to fly. There were too many bad memories at SeaTac. He figured he wouldn’t say anything and just fly home. If he said anything to Jared, Richard was mildly afraid that he’d insist on driving. He didn’t like the idea of 12 hours in the car.

They arrived at SeaTac late that afternoon. Jared returned the rental car and they took a shuttle to the terminal. As they walked towards the check-in kiosk, Richard grew hot and shaky. It was harder to maneuver his hand crutches around the airport to avoid putting weight on his bandaged knee. Jared kept insisting on getting him a wheelchair but Richard insisted that he could make it to security and compromised to use a wheelchair from security to the gate. 

Although Richard couldn’t keep his mind from flashing back to the last time he was at this airport. 

‘ _ This is different. This is different. You’re going home. You’re going home. You’re _ **_finally_ ** _ going home.’  _ He kept repeating this over and over in his mind.

Jared noticed Richard’s behavior. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. I just want to get on the plane. So we can get off it.” Richard muttered as he grabbed his ticket from the kiosk and headed towards security. His stomach was in knots as they waited in line. He did his deep breathing to calm his nerves and fight off the memories that kept fighting to get to the top of his mind.

_ Old Nick grabbed Richard’s sore wrist with a death grip and pulled him close. “Stay close. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t look at anyone. Got it?” _

As they got closer to the front of the line he recognized a someone at the body scanner. It was Bethany, the TSA agent who noticed he needed help and saved him from forcibly leaving the country with Old Nick. 

When they got to the front of the line Bethany saw him and gave him a big smile. “How you doing, sweetie?” She offered a hug which Richard didn’t really want but he felt awkward turning her down after everything she did for him. 

“Much better. I-I-I can never...repay you.”

“You can repay me by getting better, being safe, and living your best life, alright baby.”

He smiled, “Will do.”

“You going home?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” She turned to Jared, “How do you know him?”

Richard turned to Jared and neither of them really knew how to answer that question. After their declaration of love they never discussed what their relationship was. They never felt the need to label it. Friend didn’t seem to cover it, but boyfriend was too much at the moment. Significant other or partner didn’t seem right either. 

Richard finally looked back at Bethany, “He’s my best friend.” He felt that was probably best. Bethany smiled at the warm heartfelt smiles worn by both Richard and Jared. 

“Well I’m glad you have a support system.” She then guided them through the body scanner. When Richard was done she smiled and said, “You’re all good to go, baby. Enjoy your flight home.”

“I will.”

* * *

 

As they walked up to Jared’s condo everything just felt so surreal. Jared unlocked the door and Richard slowly walked in with Jared behind him going on about making dinner but Richard wasn’t really listening. He felt like dropping to his knees and sobbing but instead he just stood in the middle of Jared’s living room in shock. The condo looked more or less the same, although he could tell it hadn’t been lived in much lately due to the dust on the surfaces. What still shocked him was that he was there again. He was safely in Jared’s living room. 

He was  **_finally_ ** home.

A voice deep in the back of his mind told him, ‘ _ Gabriella never got to truly go home.’  _ He took a few deep breaths and wrigged his hands in an effort to fight off the intrusive thought. 

He stopped staring at his surroundings and collapsed on Jared’s soft black leather couch. It felt like an eternity since he had felt that safe and relaxed. Since he felt that normal. Jared immediately went to the kitchen to make some soup. He had Dinesh and Gilfoyle refill his pantry with all of Richard’s favorites as well as foods appropriate for someone recovering from starvation. 

Richard got the sudden urge to shower in a real shower that wasn’t in a hospital. He knew to act on that urge before it past and he didn’t have the energy to stand that long. “Hey. Um. I want to...shower.” 

The doctor said he could resume showering but not baths. Jared looked up from some vegetables he was dicing. “Alright.” Richard nodded and got up to change. “Hold on. I’ll throw the towels in the dryer for a couple minutes and make them warm and fluffy. There’s some clean clothes of yours in the bedroom. Second drawer.”

Richard slightly smiled at the unnecessary but nice request. “Alright.” Jared grabbed the towels from the bathroom and brought them over to the dryer near the kitchen. Richard walked into the bedroom and saw the duffel bag he brought to Jared’s the night he was kicked out. It was sitting empty on the floor. It looked like it hadn’t been moved since he left the day he was taken. Although the clothes were no longer in it. He looked in the second drawer of the black wooden dresser and saw all his clothes were cleaned and neatly folded and organized. 

The gesture nearly brought Richard to tears.

He grabbed a pair of sweats, some boxers, a t-shirt, and a red hoodie and walked into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him and put the clothes on the toilet. He didn’t lock the door. He couldn’t stand locked doors. Closed doors bothered him as well but it wasn’t nearly as bad as locked doors. 

When Richared turned and looked up he was face to face with his reflection in the bathroom mirror above the sink. He had finally managed to shave what facial hair he did have but that didn’t do him any favors. His face still looked paler than normal and gaunt. He leaned in and inspected at the bruise around his eye that was close to gone as well as the one around his neck. His nose still had a small bandage over it but he was already seeing an improvement in his breathing. He took a couple deep breaths before moving again. He didn’t know if he wanted to do it. He knew he had to eventually. He couldn’t avoid it forever. 

He pulled off his hooded sweatshirt and the t-shirt underneath to reveal the nasty scars on his chest, back, and arms. The puzzle shaped brand standing out as a large pale pink. Healing bruises, wound scars, and belt whip scars covered his chest and back. Smaller cuts and burns littered his arms. He had been gaining weight but you could still count his ribs through his skin. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and fight off nausea caused by truly looking at himself for the first time. He traced his fingers over the scars, immersed in the harrowing memories of how he got each one. He couldn’t stand to look at himself. He truly hated himself. How he looked. He was quickly losing the urge to shower and to just cover up in more hooded sweatshirts and hide under blankets. 

He mustered up all the energy he could and prepared himself to get in the shower. 

Jared brought the towels from the dryer and thought that he saw Richard in the bedroom. So he walked over to the bathroom and opened the unlocked door. Not expecting to see a shirtless Richard, Jared startled as did Richard. He turned with a shriek to grab the sweatshirt from the toilet which inadvertently showed Jared the belt whip scars on his back. For the first time he saw the scars all over Richard, his heart sank and his stomach twisted into knots. 

He started an apology which just sounded like word vomit. He dropped the folded towels on the floor and slammed the door shut. 

Jared sat against the door just comprehending what just happened. What he saw. He was terrified of how he triggered Richard but he knew that going back in there was not a good idea. So instead he sat there. He had a breath of relief when he heard the shower turn on. 

Richard stood there just wrapping his head around what happened. A wave of panic rose over him as he just accidentally showed Jared something only doctors have seen. He wiped a few budding tears from his eyes.

He considered not showering but he had been through too much to quit now. He took a few breaths before removing his pants and the sweatshirt he had just put on. He didn’t feel comfortable enough to remove his boxers and he considered just showering in them. He figured that was a fair compromise and turned on the shower. He put the warm fluffy towels on the towel rack and then got under the hot spray. It was so hot it would be uncomfortable for most but it felt amazing to Richard. He grabbed one of the Jared’s shower gels that he would use on ‘special occasions’ whatever that meant. He lathered some on a wash cloth and smelled the wonderful aroma of coconut and lime. After washing he didn’t want to get out. He couldn’t face Jared. So instead he sat on the floor of the tub as the searing hot water washed over him. He had lost track of time until he heard Jared knock on the door. 

“Richard? Richard?”

“What?!”

“You’ve been in there a while. Are you okay?”

“I’m not going after your razor if that’s what you’re asking.”

It was. Jared had 911 dialed and his finger next to the call button. 

“I’ll be out soon.”

“No, no. Take your time. I was just concerned.”

Richard finally got out when they ran out of hot water. He toweled off, which felt extra good since the towels were still warm and very fluffy. He put on the clean pajamas, putting the sopping wet boxers in the trash, and walked straight to the bedroom. He heard Jared say, “The soup should be ready soon. I’ll bring it in.”

Richard crawled into the large warm bed and buried himself under the warm blankets where he couldn’t keep the tears away any longer.


	42. Someone to Listen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard takes a walk to clear his head and runs into a familiar face whom he confides in. In return, Richard's given some helpful advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter. Life has really been busy lately. I'm going to try to write and update more regularly. I feel bad that it's been a while.   
> It's insane to think, but I started writing this fic about a year ago and posted it just under a year ago and I'm so happy with my progress!
> 
> I'm pretty excited about this chapter because I've had this idea for a very long time and I'm excited to finally post it. So be sure to leave a comment telling me what you think!

After sobbing, Richard felt claustrophobic. He couldn’t breathe. He needed fresh air. The walls felt like they were caving in on him. He threw the blankets from over him, threw on some sneakers by the door and ran out. Jared turned from the stove, “Richard? What’s wrong?” He managed to catch Richard waiting for the elevator. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t...I can’t breathe. I need air.” 

“Alright.” Jared nodded, “Want me to come with you?”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, be careful. The doctor said you could do some light exercise but I don’t think this is what he meant. Do you have your phone? Your keys? Wallet?” Richard padded his pockets and saw he had none of those things. “How about I bring you those and then you go on a short walk. Just keep in touch. Does that sound alright?” Richard nodded. “Good.”

Jared was back before the elevator even arrived. 

When the elevator made it to the ground floor Richard ran out and sucked in lung fulls of fresh air as soon as he got outside, nearly dropping to his knees and clutching onto a pillar for support. 

After a while he managed to get himself together and started to walk. He didn’t have a destination in mind, he just started walking. He walked under the bright streetlamps that illuminated the deserted streets that night. He tried not to think about what happened earlier with the shower. Although those thoughts kept creeping into his mind.  He couldn’t get them out. ‘ _ He saw you. He saw them. He saw it. What does he think of you now?’ _

He needed to distract himself from these thoughts. He saw he was approaching a small dive bar. He peered in the window and saw only a few people there. He figured since this was a tiny dive bar late on a weeknight, it wouldn’t be crowded anyway.  Richard walked into the bar and saw a face he’d recognize anywhere.

He sat down at the bar, “Gilfoyle? What are you doing here?”

Gilfoyle was sitting alone at the wooden bar nursing a whiskey. “I like this bar because no one knows about it. Jared told us you were coming back today. So what are you doing here is the real question.”

“I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I needed some fresh air.” The bartender came over to take his order, “Whiskey, straight.” Richard ordered which made Gilfoyle’s brows slightly curl. 

“Really? You’re not the type for hard liquor.”

“I’m not the type to get kidnapped in an Uber.”

“Touché.” Gilfoyle took a sip of his drink and the bartender put a glass of whiskey on the bar for Richard. He nodded and took a sip with a grimace.

“So unpleasant, but it helps.” He muttered, “She always said it wasn’t a good coping mechanism, but in a survival situation if it gets you through the night.” He shrugged. “Since I had to...do that. They didn’t say I had to be sober. Never thought I’d be thankful for my low tolerance for alcohol.”

Gilfoyle subtly gripped his glass and slowly took in a deep breath. Worried that Richard was about to open up to him, because Gilfoyle knew he was in no way, shape, or form, equipped to deal with this. 

“I just...when she told me...who he was….what he did. I just...I couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. Soon it became  _ very real _ . Painfully real.” He scoffed, “Literally.” He grasped his glass, “After...he burned me. I passed out....When I came to I was slightly confused because I was now on my stomach. They were all screaming insults and profanity….I felt this....what can only be described as, a piercing violating sensation. It hurt. It  _ really  _ fucking hurt...I couldn’t...figure out where the pain was coming from. I was just waking up still….then...I felt this thick sticky substance on my back and ass...it hit me...I tried to fight…” He quickly wiped a budding tear from his eye, “But they had me pinned….they were so much stronger than me. I screamed...but they never listened.”

At a loss for words Gilfoyle just nodded and listened, staring straight ahead. His only visible reaction being grasping onto his glass when he wasn’t drinking from it. 

“You know, I grew up with those Schwarzenegger and Stallone movies. Whenever they have a gun pointed at them...they always say some cool shit. Like, ‘you better use that.’ I don’t do that. I get very polite and accommodating when you put on a gun on me. Damn, I’ll do just about anything.” He took a large sip of his whiskey, “It didn’t take them long to figure out who you all were. To threaten Jared. You, Dinesh, Monica. I had no doubt they’d do it, too. I couldn’t...I couldn’t let that happen.” He paused for a while while staring at his drink, “That wasn’t the first time I tried to escape. It was around the Super Bowl. Yes, the same day he was arrested. I can’t make a plan worth shit...I knew that staying there was a death sentence. They’d eventually find a reason to kill us. And as much as I wanted to hope...The cops weren’t coming. They wouldn’t bust in and save me from this hell. That’s...that’s an indescribable feeling really. Knowing that you are in a deadly situation and help is  _ not _ on the way...that you’re completely on your own to save yourself and the people around you. And you are completely ill equipped to do so….” He nervously tapped on his glass, “And because of my incompetence, they died. I killed my friend. The person who  _ literally _ kept me alive.”

“You didn’t kill her, Richard. Those pig faced fucked noses who pulled the trigger to ensure she wouldn’t talk are responsible. I know you must have done everything you could for her.” He raised his glass to take a sip, “You know I wouldn’t say that just to make you feel better.”

Richard stared ahead, “I thought...I thought….I was desperate and delusional enough to believe it would work. I...I noticed this jon had a Swiss army knife. I swiped it when he was too drunk to notice. I figured if we could pick the lock or the hinges on the door, there was a vent not too far down the hallway.”

“And all vents lead outside. That’s smart.”

Richard scoffed as he took a drink, “That’s what they said. There was a moment when we exited the vent and smelled fresh oxygen that we thought this plan was crazy enough to work....then everyone started dying. Soon enough it was just me and Summer. We were covered in blood, brains, sweat, and dirt. We were surrounded by guns and rabid dogs….I was never more certain that I was going to die. I remember looking up at the sun peaking through the trees and thinking,  _ ‘if this is the last thing I ever see. I’m okay with that. I’m done. I’ve had enough.’ _ ...but that wasn’t the last thing that I saw. I just...kept going. I just...wouldn’t die. Minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day. I kept going. Shortly after  _ he  _ took me. I asked...I begged him to just kill me and get it over it with.  _ He _ said to me, ‘I’m in charge. I decide what lives and what dies.’ But honestly...I welcomed death. My plan got people killed. I don’t deserve to be alive. Why did I survive? Marie was so young. Gabriella has a family. Luis didn’t do anything wrong. If I just waited _a few more hours_ we would have been rescued. Free. Alive." He fiddled with this glass, "How...how do you keep going when the worst thing has happened? Who do you have become? What do you have to change inside to survive?”

GIlfoyle asked, “The Feds told us that someone tipped him off and that's why he took those drastic measures. If you wouldn't have tried that you would all be dead. There was no way you could have known. Again, you know I'm not saying that to make you feel better. Whether or not you believe it is a whole other matter." There was a long silence between them "Are you talking to your shrink about this? Or Jared, the former king of trauma?”

Richard scoffed as he took another sip of his drink, “I feel like I have to talk to the shrink. I’ll tell them some things, but...I don’t know. I don’t particularly like talking to them.” He paused looking down at amber liquid in the glass. “I can’t talk to Jared. I can’t handle him looking at me with that damn kicked puppy look. Because I know how he looks at me now. How much it hurts him to see me like this. I know he now thinks of me as someone who needs to be nursed and protected. I can’t ask him to...I can’t burden him with all this. It’s-it’s too much.”

Gilfoyle bit his tongue thinking, ‘ _ So you’ll burden me with it?’ _ Instead he said, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t your friend, Gabriella, a shrink?”

Richard froze, “She...she’s different.” He couldn’t make eye contact with Gilfoyle. They sat in silence for a few moments, there was low R&B music playing in the bar. Richard sighed and took another sip of his drink, finishing it off and motioning the bartender for another which he quickly received. “You know...what I hate...is how everyone just...walks on eggshells around you when you get hurt like this. Everyone looks at you and treats you like you’re broken. No one knows how to act around you anymore. In a way, you’re still not being treated like a normal human.” He looked up at GIlfoyle, “Except for you.” He looked up at Richard and slightly squinted. “You’re still the same dick I knew a year ago.” Gilfoyle curled his eyebrows. Richard elaborated, “I hate how everyone treats me differently. Something’s changed and I need everything else to say the same so I can process the difference but that doesn’t happen....except for you. You haven’t really changed how you treat me. More or less, you still treat me like you did a year ago. Even now, you didn’t react how anyone else would. Or ask me how I feel about it. You just listened. It...reminds me of normalcy. A normalcy I hope to get back one day….It...it proves to me that perhaps I  _ can _ get back that normalcy because it’s still there.”

“So me being a dick actually  _ helps? _ ” Gilfoyle had no idea what to do or how to handle this so he just continued treating Richard more or less the same. 

“Apparently.”

“Noted.” GIlfoyle finished off his drink and signaled the bartender for another. Once he got it he took a long sip. 

“I should feel something about what happened. But I don’t, not really. Just...empty. There’s a small part of me that’s angry and hurt, but a lot’s just numb. Like I don’t know if I have processed it yet. Like I’m still living in survival mode. I don’t know.”

“Not to sound like that person, but you feel how you feel. For the record, what those rat faced fucks did was wrong and fucked up. If you want to be angry and hurt, that’s completely valid. If you’re still processing and feel numb, then who’s to say that’s not valid.”

Richard looked at him almost in shock, not really expecting that from Gilfoyle.  He read Richard’s face, “I’m full of advice. You should listen more.”

Richard let out a small smile and took a sip of his drink. 

“You should talk to Jared more. Let him in. He can help. He wants to help. Just tell him not to react. Tell him it’s on your terms.”

Richard knew that he had a point. He sighed and took another sip. He hadn’t been at the bar long but he was already starting to feel the warm fuzziness of being buzzed. 

They were both silent for a while when Richard got the nerve to ask a question he had been wondering since his escape, “How...how much did you see?”

GIlfoyle looked up from his drink, “Excuse me?”

Richard took a deep breath, letting the alcohol flow freely through him, “ _ He _ told me... _ he _ told me he sent you the stream. How much did you see?”

Gilfoyle finished off his drink, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He didn’t want to talk about it. He ordered another drink.

Richard knew he was lying. “Either you don’t know what’s going on on your own platform or you’re lying to protect me. Neither of which sound like you.” He took a sip of his drink, “Maybe I was wrong about my previous assumption of you.” Gilfoyle knew he was caught, “So, what’s the truth?” He knew Gilfoyle was the only person who would give him a real answer. Or at least that’s what he thought.

Gilfoyle took a large sip of his next whiskey, “Fine. A few hours before your escape and the Feds picking you up at the airport, Monica, Jared, Dinesh, and I got emails with the subject line, Code Review Results...I first found it puzzling that Monica and Jared would get one of those emails.” Richard subtly wrung his hands. Gilfoyle looked straight ahead as he spoke, “When I opened it it was supposedly from the engineering department. Except that’s what he wanted us to think. There was just some hyperlinked text that said, ‘Sometimes what’s dead doesn’t stay dead.’ I clicked. As soon as I realized it I called the Feds and told everyone else not to check their emails. I’m the only one who saw it, along with the Feds.”

Richard grasped his glass and took a few deep breaths. ‘ _ He saw you like that. He saw you like that. He saw you like that.’ _ His boiling blood raced through his body, he felt like his heart was beating so fast it was going to explode. “How...how….how much did you see?”

“Since Dinesh and I were the only ones who were truly capable of figuring it out and I didn’t want Dinesh to see, I worked with the Feds to identify him from the videos. Try to get a name, a location, anything.”

His breathing only got more erratic, he felt like he was going to vomit, “So you saw….everything. You saw everything.”

“Yes. We eventually identified a man who worked with him, which is how we found out he was probably going to Bulgaria. The TSA gave the Feds your photo once they had you and the Feds were on their way immediately.” He conveniently lied about how they knew he was in Seattle. Gilfoyle was already revealing a lot and felt like bringing up Jared’s ‘undercover mission’ was too much for the moment. 

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for Richard. “I can’t...I can’t breathe.” He ran out of the bar. 

“Shit.” Gilfoyle muttered and ran after him, vaguely hearing the bartender yell at them to pay their bill.

He found Richard kneeling in the back alley vomiting and violently shaking. 

‘ _ Shit.’ _ He thought. He briefly wondered if telling Richard was the right thing to do. He then realized how pissed Jared was going to be for telling him. He finally thought, ‘ _ Well at least this time he didn’t try to off himself. Progress...I guess.’ _

He tried to figure out how to deal with this.  For a while he just stood there watching Richard puke and shake, knowing he wasn’t doing any good.

“For what it’s worth, what he did was sick and fucked up. I’m amazed you’re still alive. Let alone coherent enough to hold conversations and not be institutionalized...Honestly, I wasn’t shocked when you tried to kill yourself….I understood. Possibly the only person who ever will.”

Richard shakily wiped his mouth and looked up, completely speechless. 

“You should get back to Jared. You should also talk to him more. I can walk you back or text Monica to pick us up.”

Richard thought for a few seconds, “We can walk. I need the fresh air.” He figured it would help his panic and nausea. Gilfoyle noticed as Richard got up he was doing what appeared to be breathing exercises, grasping his chin with one hand and his other was balled into a fist with this thumb on the inside. Richard read his face, “Gabriella...taught it to me. Calms the gag reflex to prevent vomiting.” Gilfoyle knew it had another purpose than just not vomiting which made his stomach churn. 

They slowly started walking in silence. As they got closer to Jared’s condo GIlfoyle pulled out his phone. “I’ve been meaning to suggest to you. You should try marijuana for nightmares and PTSD. I’m sending you the name of a strain now. Go to any dispensary and ask for it. They’ll know what you want.”

Richard, now a little calmer since the initial panic had passed, pulled out his phone and read the text. “Thank you.”

Richard walked into Jared’s condo alone, Jared was standing over a large soup pot in the kitchen. “Hey, you’ve been gone awhile. I was getting worried. Are you okay?”

Richard stood across from Jared, “No, I’m not okay.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah...I do.”


End file.
